Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Cyan Prophecy
by CassandraTruth
Summary: As a reality-shattering threat looms over the world of pokemon mystery dungeon, a human turned riolu suddenly appears, and with his arrival, bizarre events unfold, the end getting ever closer. Now, he must accept his role as a hero, while he and and his friends question themselves, and those around them. When the Cyan Prophecy unravels, can pokémon change what's written in stone?
1. Not in Kansas Anymore

**Disclaimer: **The following story is rated **Teen**, due to realistic violence, (rare) use of vulgar words, strong and unpleasant themes such as abuse, depression and obssession, and some sexual themes sprinkled here and there. I also do not own pokémon, nor the masterful pokémon mystery dungeon series, this is merely a love letter to these games, and to all the great PMD Fanfics out there. This is a work of fiction (duh), with the sole objective of entertaining. The songs used also belong to their respective authors, and are here mostly to set up tone and character. May contain spoilers for other Mystery Dungeon games. Oh and this is my first ever attempt at writing, so any criticism, positive or otherwise, is very much appreciated!

Having said that, on with the story.

* * *

In a city covered in mist, shrouded by darkness, and with a ever intensifying downpour, one could get quite a large number of different feelings when looking to the scenery. Enormous buildings of cold metal and strong stone, cracked, foul and ugly, just like their inhabitants, all cutting the sky with their oppressive, imposing sizes, and detestable polluted gases yet the endless skies above seemed to be attacking back… or were they crying?

The large man, with long, messy brown hair wondered as he looked at the darkness above, sitting under the stairs, on the safety of a subway station, looking at the city above him, even though people passed by, he was still alone. Often Ignored, almost as if invisible. Despite that, the man was clearly dirty, wearing a simple, ragged coat, thinner than the air, with a expression of sadness and sorrow. As if he wallowing in his own misery, looking at the journals and cardboards underneath him.

He looks down into the cold, dirty ground bellow, not noticing as a child and his mother approach him, both wearing much more neat clothings, with an umbrella to hide from the wet fury of the skies outside, going down the stairs that led to the subway, where he was, the two of them seeming almost angelic compared to the weary looking young man. He looked at them with almost awe, when he noticed the jacket wearing duo, observing as the child held back the mother, who wanted to keep moving, and simply stared back at him, then he begun trying to grab something from his backpack, talking back to his superior, the child's mother apparently told him not to talk with the man, to which the infant refused, deciding to instead offer something to him.

"Here, mister! You're cold, you can sleep with him!" The little kid innocently proclaimed, grabbing a plushy toy and giving it to the ragged male, together with some spare batteries, while he looked puzzled at the random display of kindness.

The man's hands were extended all the way through the exchange, expecting some pennies, the pair of dirty hands trembling a bit as he received the gift, with a shocked expression "You can hug him when you feel cold or sad! He even sings a song if you do!" the child continued, before his mother grabbed his hand softly and coaxed him into leaving with her "It's daddy's birthday. You know that. Daddy is still waiting for us."

"Okay mommy... Bye mister!" he waved as they left.

But the man could only stare at the gift on his palms, slowly picking up blue toy, hands trembling as if he was disarming a bomb, heart pounding as if he was being stalked by a starving beast, wrapping one arm around it, in a very disproportionate hug, gasping as the little toy begun 'singing'.

"_Turn around_

_Look at what you see_

_In her face_

_The mirror of your dreams...__"_

He put one hand on his mouth, the other hugging the warm toy, no longer able to control himself, small droplets of water leaving his eyes, as his solitary sobbing evolved into uncontrollable crying, his hands covering his eyes as the song played on, the sounds of his emotions echoing through the now lonely, nightly subway station.

* * *

"_Make believe I'm everywhere_

_Given in the light_

_Written on the pages_

_Is the answer to a never ending story."_

A lonely teenager was sitting in his room, reading a book, his mind drifting away from reality as much as possible, listening to a song on his portable device, eyes trying to look away from what was behind him, yet he couldn't help but cringe at the violent sounds of shouting and furniture breaking.

He looked at the watch and got up, grabbing a backpack, and leaving in a rush, not daring to look into the room at his side, as he rushed past those that inhabited the big house he lived, trying to disassociate from what was happening, and simply leave.

* * *

"_Reach the stars_

_Fly a fantasy_

_Dream a dream_

_And what you see will be.._"

The teenger ran into the busy streets, occasionally bumping into some passersby, and quickly apologizing for it. Looking at his watch with worry, wiping some sweat from his forehead as he panted, gazing around the streets, trying to reach his destination before dusk settled in, and seeming a bit lost. Thankfully, the fast few cars on the street, and the dwindling number of civilians made it easier for him to navigate through the city.

"**No more. There will be no more waiting, child. The preparations have been made… and the time has come."**

* * *

"_...Is the answer to a never ending story_"

The teen stopped in his tracks, grabbing the device hidden in his pocket, tapping his fingers on it, a bit confused as to why this song is on repeat all of a sudden… then looking at a very bright green light, taking an almost spherical look, on the other side of the street, seeming as if he was the only one who was actually seeing the weird ball. Mesmerized by the bizarre spectacle, the teen didn't notice time pass, suddenly, being the only one in the middle of the busy street, out of nowhere, as if he had blinked out of reality for a brief period of time…

A loud and sudden honk assaulted his ear, as did the sound of desperate wheels on the concrete below…

"HEY!"

…

…

A Light-headedness suddenly assaulted the boy, as if the last few seconds were erased from his mind, feeling the hot floor assault his skin, and the taste of iron fill his mouth, slowly he begun hearing a chaotic mix of inharmonious sounds, attacking his poor eardrums, telling a tale of pure shock, cries of confusion and screams of terror. His vision blurring, going scarlet red… as a light yet again tortured his eyes, taking a familiar spherical shape. Time was moving slower, as a lonely musical device sat not too far from the road, still playing its melody, and still on repeat, now all cracked, and a little redder.

"_Show no fear_

_For she may fade away_

_In your hand_

_The birth of a new day…"_

* * *

Various flashes of various colors assaulted his vision, as if his very being was crossing through a hurricane, not able to cry, the boy only felt his metaphorical heart miss a metaphorical beat, almost like in a dream, where you are merely a watcher of some bizarre sight.

Then, the blinding lights vanished, and he felt as if his soul finally got back to his body, similarly to waking up after a nightmare, yet he still found himself unable to move or to properly think, paralyzed in recoil after… that. Again, the boy made a comparison with sleeping, though this time, it seemed more like sleep paralysis rather than sleep itself, or dreaming. Then before he could think any further, he could feel a burst of pain shooting through his entire body, as if every cell of his being was being slashed by a sword, he would cry, and scream, but it seemed that fate would not allow him even this small luxury.

It all ended with his consciousness in complete darkness, and suddenly a purple-ish light begun crawling into his vision, as if someone was pointing a lantern at his sleeping self. He could feel his eyes were closed, but a small fraction of his mind desperately tried to make sense out of the chaos that was happening.

"No! You can't just -"

He tried listening to the rest, the voice was clearly male, the kind who you would associate with someone usually quiet and calm, though it sounded distraught…

"**...You know the requirements. And yet you truly-"** This was a different voice, this one seemed feminine, and almost spiritual, ethereal, yet stern like a guardian's...the banging of his head, and his recovering eardrums yet again not allowing him to hear the exchange. The purple light from before no longer being shined at him all of a sudden.

"Le- -te dec-. Do no- k- -im y-." The male voice said, the ringing only getting more intense, yet again not allowing him to understand exactly what he was saying, only wavering more and more as time passed, his consciousness trying to fade away, only resisting thanks to sheer willpower.

"**I sh- -eed to yo- op-. -et us lea- him f-" **He struggled to hear more of that haunting female voice, but seeing how futile it was, he instead decided to focus his last ember of energy to understand (even if a bit) of his surroundings.

And just like that, the conversation had ended to him, the pair of voices mere whispers now, as he was mustering the will to feel where he was laying, acknowledging the structure of the surface as that of a rocky place, similar to a cave. Focusing on his other senses, he could hear the faint sound of moving water nearby, surprised his usually poor hearing (that should be even more poor considering his present condition) could actually detect a sound that seemed so far away, laying there, eyes still closed, body bruised, seeming completely knocked out.

"**-oon."** he heard the female once more, before his weary, wavering consciousness at long last gave up, and he fainted completely, both in body and in mind as a result, not noticing the pair of eyes gazing at him in the darkness of this obscure place, before vanishing in thin air, almost as if it had stopped existing.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Fantasia**

**Episode 1: Not in Kansas anymore.**

**-?-**

The first thing he hears when he wakes up, is ringing yet again. Followed by a dreadful headache, and a even stronger pain shooting through his body, especially his right arm and back. It takes a considerable amount of strength just to get up, every muscle of his body aching, some in places he didn't even know he had.

Shaking and panting, fighting back against his bodies' pleas to give in and slumber. Gravity itself seeming to be increased, as he finally opens his eyes, and stands on his feet.

"What… How… I-I…" he tries to say, noticing just now how try his throat is, noticing that his voice sounded… off. But ignored it, blaming it on his extreme thirst.

When he takes a step forward, he almost stumbles back down, clutching his left arm into his right one, suppressing a scream, pain shooting through his arm, all the way to his spine, making him kneel in sheer agony.

Though what made him drop a cold sweat was the fact that his arm was **hairy**. No… **Furry**. But even more strangely, it was **blue**.

The boy felt his heart sink into his chest, his mind screaming thousands of possibilities in mere moments, the pain no longer paralysed him, it was now confusion.

Deciding to examine his body further, the boy noticed that his chest was also hairy (furred?), his hands were quite similar to a dog's paws, he now knew where the unknown pain from before came from… he had a tail there on his lower back.

The sheer surrealism of everything that was happening made it seem like a dream, though this time, the boy was wide awake.

He knew he wasn't supposed to be like this. Then what was he before? A human. Makes sense, but how did he look like as a human?...

That was when the third shock hit him: he didn't know.

It shook him to the very core, but the human turned pokémon had no idea of who exactly he was. The scary part was that he knew all sorts of unrelated things, he knew that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, he knew that it was better to drink the juices from fruits than to drink saltwater, he also remembered every single verse of his favorite songs.

And yet, despite digging through all of his memories, he could not remember anything related to him.

Still kneeling, not from pain, but from despair and confusion, he shook his head, heart pounding nervously, every heartbeat seeming like a drum on his chest, as he calmed and psyched himself to stay on his feet. Grunting and whimpering a little, his left paw holding his right shoulder, feeling the pain shooting through his arm at every wrong and abrupt movement.

'_I gotta… drink something. Then I'll… Plan where to go from there…'_ He strategized, sighing, in an attempt to calm himself enough to make sense of what was happening.

Curiously, his eyes could see very well in this place, even though there was clearly no luminous object to aid him. _'...Guess it comes with the furry package.'_ he mused.

He remembered the water source he heard before, and decided to try and find it with his sharp senses. Though before he went there, he noticed a fine piece of cloth laying on the floor, moved a bit by the faint breeze that entered the cave, thanking the heavens above, he grabbed it with his left paw.

Examining it further, this seems to be used for a scarf. Or maybe a bandage? It was crimson red, and seemed to be old, but still very well kept. Maybe this was… his? He felt no attachment to it, but his amnesia could be to blame.

By using his mouth (muzzle?) to grab one part, he used his free left paw to wrap and knot the cloth around his arm, and neck. Making a very rough, very poor sling to cover his aching, seemingly broken arm. It was a little bit on the small side of things, but it worked, his arm now resting just a bit over his heart.

The odd and eerie silence of the rocky place actually helping his situation, his heartbeat, breathing and inconsistent footsteps being the only things that he could hear other than the faint sound of running water.

As he made his way there, he noticed that the world around him wasn't as plain as one could think, a cave with blue-ish rocks, with some green in between, something you'd see in a game or a cartoon, seeming untouched, and as such, beautiful and unique to behold. Maybe this was an uncharted place? He couldn't help but stare...

The boy decided to focus, for once. Shaking his head, he begun limping his way at once, towards where the sound of water was coming from, not soon after, his now sensitive nose was assaulted with a damp, rocky scent.

He gasped at what he saw: the water was apparently an underground lake. Maybe an aquifer- but most importantly: it was a beautiful, clear blue. Almost painting the entire room of the cave with its weird bioluminescence.

The human turned riolu didn't need to have his past memories to know he had never seen such a beautiful sight. It was a very irrational thought, he pondered, but one his gut confidently pushed him to believe in.

Throwing caution out of the window, the riolu once more limped towards the edge of the water, kneeled in front of it with a pained grunt, beginning to use his paw to grab the liquid, shivering a bit once he acknowledged how cold it was, and put it on his lips.

After a few good slurps, the male stopped panting, just now noticing his tongue was previously out of his mouth. But more importantly, once the water calmed down back to its idle speed, the boy could see his face, finally.

His most noticeable feature were his scarlet red eyes, he was very clearly a canine, with a muzzle, sharp teeth and ears on top of his head. Though he had blue fur, his face was covered in a black 'mask' of sorts, a unique pattern for sure. Two black appendages hang down from his head, he curiously touches one, only to immediately take his paw away, as if he had shocked himself. Those things are very sensitive, it seems…

While the canine sat back and examined his paw with almost obsessive curiosity. He saw a strange light coming from deep down the water. Appearing in his vision suddenly, and vanishing completely. It was a weird blur of colors, and he could swear those appendages moved just now…

Before he could make sense of that, a sudden movement in the water was noticed by him, then out of nowhere, a splash assaulted his poor ears, spilling water on the rocky floor, as something surfaced from the water.

The blue canine was on his feet completely by instinct, his left paw clutched in a fist, his two legs somewhat wobbly, as he looked at the possible foe with his heart slamming against his chest once more.

A blue, turtle-like being came out, taking a breath from the air in a sigh-like fashion, his beak in a relaxed and casual smile as he spotted the blue jackal. Waving his flippers in a greeting. It had a 'mask' not too different from the riolu's, his body blue with black spots on his flippers, with a hard looking black shell that has six circular indentations on it.

"Hi! Saw ya moving the water from up here. Couldn't help, I had to say hello!" he fluently and casually spoke, still waving his flippers a bit.

He looked around a bit, as if scanning the area "Ah. So you're exploring Marble cave, yeah? Goodie, ya seem to be pretty far in! Close to the way out for sure." He chuckled and looks back at the silent, stoic Riolu, taking it as a cue to continue.

"Me and the boys are scavenging some underwater dungeon in search of some girl's belonging. You know how those damn places suck something and randomly throw 'em around." he says, a little annoyed.

To the tirtouga, the riolu seemed calm and quiet, so he just continued "Didn't see one of you around here before. You an apprentice too? This Oasis is located pretty far in Marble cave, so I assume your team is nearby."

The riolu, on the inside, was a nervous wreck, unsure what the hell that talking turtle was on about, but he tried to make the most sense of what was going on, and maybe ask for help without sounding like a maniac "I'm… alone. And… lost. I'm injured as well. My arm…" he said, in a somewhat meek monotone voice.

The turtle cocked his head to the side "Alone, so deep in Marble cave? You have guts! Though I can tell ya that this here safezone is pretty far in. One more floor and you are out!" he nodded.

"Let's talk in the guild, yeah? I have spent too much time 'round here, gotta go back to the fetch quest! Just a sec, have these for your injuries."He dove down for a moment, returning with a blue, round berry and a pink, twisted berry with a yellow tip

"Got these to spare. Mago and oran- Perfect for boosting ya up! And since you are a fighting type, you'll be feeling good in no time!" he handed them to the canine, a bit clumsily with his flippers, as a beeping sound could be heard.

The Tirtouga grabbed a round object from his frontal shell, and returned his face to his normal relaxed expression "Hah. Knew they'd call by now. See ya, Riolu! Ya seem cool." he said, diving down at a surprising speed, before the confused riolu could stop him to get more information.

He looked into the water and sighed, clutching his paw in a fist of anger "Argh… I should have inquired more. Apparently, my 'name' is Riolu… or is that what I am?" he tilted his head in confusion. "There seems to be a type classification, and I'm a 'fighting' one. I assume those heal fast, and hit hard…"

"I'm in marble cave… a 'dungeon'. Currently in a… 'Oasis', a safe place, which seems to be connected to another dungeon, though this one's underwater…" he begun scratching his forehead "Though I wonder… this is 'safe' from what…?"

Suddenly, pain shot through his roughly immobilized arm once more, though this time, it was staying, assaulting his senses for a while _"Damn it… Adrenaline must have completely… ran out!"_ he growled a bit, unawarely "And that braindead turtle gave me berries to help with the pain…" he sighed in defeat.

Looking at the two wet fruits in front of him, he moved and kneeled to grab the pink, twisted one _"I may only carry one with those tiny paws… might as well put this to good use…"_ he took a bit from the fruit…

...And suddenly, his sensitive tongue had been blessed with the most heavenly sweet taste. So intense that his face contorted to express his emotions, quickly, his body moved on auto pilot, munching the entire thing in a flash.

He couldn't help but smile, licking his lips. Wondering how something could taste so amazing- Maybe he had a sweet tooth?

This blissful moment was interrupted by another burst of intense, sharp pain on his arm, making him kneel and clutch his wrapped arm, his head spinning, confusion striking him, and just as suddenly, it went away…

...And with it, the intense pain. Now it only hurted to swing and to make sudden movements. _"...A magical fruit. Huh. Ok. I will… stop questioning. Wonderland, show me your sights…"_ He chuckled at the sheer bizarreness of it all, grabbing the other fruit, leaving the blue thing to be carried by his right paw, stashed on the primitive sling.

The riolu no longer limped, nor felt completely sick. Casting his confusion aside, the boy looked at the 'entrance' right next to where he was, darkness leading to deeper in the cave… though it seemed… different in there, somehow. Almost as if there was a mysterious energy outside of this 'Oasis'.

He nodded to himself, and with careful steps, he decided to start exploring the dungeon, with a hurt arm, one berry, one scarf that was acting as a sling, and lots and lots of unanswered questions.

* * *

-**Solaris Town-**

Sundown was always a pretty sight in the beautiful town of solaris. Known for its many colors, ingenious designs and a ever growing economy, this town had all sorts of pokémon walking during the day, where the city is most busy, and was usually more quiet at night, those who wanted to be truly lonesome had to come when the sky was still orange. When the sun was just about to be substituted by the moon, when the younglings came back from school, the explorers returned to the guild for the day, and the shopkeepers closed in.

Haxorus' Guild was visible from all the town- it was located on top of a hill, its facilities also being able to be seen by the sharpest of onlookers, the main one being a tent-like entrance, modelled to look after the current leader of the guild, that led deeper into the fort-like structure. Outside, many pokémon were present, all of them with badges, signaling their allegiance to the guild, smiling, resting and bonding outside the place.

The current looker was a gecko-like pokémon, with green scales all over, except on his stomach and neck, which is covered by red scales. Carrying with him a brown, battered and ancient looking bag, worn over his shoulder with a strap that goes across his red chest. He seems to be picking on his long, bushy dark-green tail, his hands clawing it as if he had an unbearable itch.

With reptilian eyes staring dreamily at the draconic fort, the green gecko let go of his tail, noticing as the many scattered, usually scarfed pokémon stopped gathering outside the base, and stated moving their friendly talks inside the building, the curfew hour being close at hand.

The Treecko looked at the sky and decided to stop his ogling on the guild, turning around and silently leaving his isolated spot, just close enough to the guild for him to see, yet not too far from the city's buildings, that kept him concealed.

Moving towards the market area of the city, passing by a few houses, dodging having to make eye contact with the few civilians that were also retreating back home, the many colors of the city all seeming grey to the treecko, who just wasn't too into the appeal of all the colors.

Out of all the shops in the market, only one was open, the streets of this area were deserted, like always at this late hour. So now the treecko could lower his guard a bit, moving his bag's strap so it was perfectly lined across his chest. Noting that now would be impossible to be a guild member here of all places, at this time.

Walking ever so calmly, the green pokémon arrived at his destination: Altaria's general goods shop. The pokémon that named the business seemed to be waiting the visit from the little reptile. Waving with her fluffy white feathered wing at the smaller pokémon, with a smile on her beak.

"Luka. Always very nice to see you, dear!" A female, melodic voice leaves the bird-like pokémon's beak, a warm, welcoming smile ever present.

"Miss Altaria, please don't call me that, I told you so many times…" The green one replies with a frown on his previously neutral face "...I prefer to go simply as 'Treecko'. But call me 'Vert' if you insist on a name." his tone seemed to be almost somber and sorrowful on his request.

It was the altaria's turn to frown, her sing-y voice losing a bit of its upbeat energy "Very well, 'Vert'. I respect your choice, dear… but please, you know my name. It pains me when you don't call me by it." She gently said, trying to break down the little one's barriers.

Vert couldn't resist, feeling his heart ache at the thought of saddening the old lady, he immediately gave in "Of course, miss Lyra." the smile she sent after the name left his mouth lifted a bit from the heartache the reptile had, resulting in him awkwardly smiling back.

Lyra giggled a bit, and returned to other matters "You came to buy your supplies for the week, didn't you, little one?" she asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes, miss Al- Lyra." He replied, to the point.

The Altaria turned around, and grabbed a bag filled with food and other essentials, almost as if she had been expecting that very specific request "That will be 200 poké, dear." she handed it over carefully to the male.

He checked inside the bag, counting to see if everything was in order, a bit confused at the price "Um… the price is far too low for what I'm buying, miss. It should be at least 360 poké, with all the usual fancy things I always get."

The altaria frowns, with a smile, cocking her head to the side "There has been a...abundance of the a lot of pokémon are buying those items. So the prices have gone down, dear!"

The treecko almost drops a cold sweat in a comically shocked expression "So… pokémon are not buying apples.. Or basic mushrooms...nor berries…?"

The altaria was the one who widened her eyes, and looked shocked "Um.. No, dear!...hahah..." she said, trying her best to not seem suspicious, and failing miserably.

Vert scratches the side of his head in mild annoyance, sighing "Please don't… sell cheaper for me. I hate it." he declared, to which the altaria solemnly nodded "I insist on paying it fully."

Lyra sighs, closing her eyes and replying on her now less musical voice "Very well. 330 poké, then!"

Knowing the stubborn lady will only lower the price if he tries to rebel, he finally accepts it, handing her the money on his bag.

"How are you doing, Vert? Did you finally apply for apprenticeship at the guild?" She finally asked, as if she was holding back the question up until this moment.

"I'm… normal, miss Lyra. I train everyday on the house, with my free time. Cook when I'm hungry… Ordinary stuff, really" Vert tried to make it short.

The altaria looked even more concerned at the little gecko "It's not 'normal' for someone your age to be so lonely, dear! Do you want me to mov-"

"No. You ask me that every week… There is no need. I would just feel worse. You know it." Vert raised his voice a bit, a stern expression ever present on his face.

The altaria sighed, in a sorrowful way "If you won't let me help, at least take a chance and open up to someone from the guild. You are a wonderful pokémon, Vert. dutiful, sweet, hardy… Which team wouldn't want you in it is beyond me!"

The treecko's response was to look down, as she continued "When I was a little swablu, meek but hopeful, I met your parents while in search of a team. You would be surprised at how much one can 'change' and 'evolve' while working for and with others." she sternly yet warmly advised him "Change is only possible if you take action. Everything will remain the same if you stay idle."

The sweet tone on her voice didn't stop Vert from cringing at the mention of his parents, and of the harsh truths she was telling him. Closing his eyes shut and shaking his head, as if to avoid thinking about it "I… just can't. Not with… someone from the guild. I don't feel... comfortable opening up to any of them."

"I know you think they-" The altaria tried to continue, but was interrupted by the sound of running from a lonesome avian coming down the same streets Vert came from.

"Miss Altaria! Miss Altaria!" a female voice called from the distance, making Vert cringe and look at the direction of the sound.

A orange chick pokémon running as fast as her stubby legs allowed her, with her yellow and orange crest moving thanks to the momentum, she was wearing a golden scarf that shone with the modest sunrays of the dying sun. She stopped right between the grass and the dragon types, panting and trying to catch her breath.

"Uf… I made it!" She triumphantly declared "Thank Mew you sometimes stay open past the normal hours, for some reason!" She giggled sheepishly.

Lyra had to return to her professional persona, having to ignore the intimate previous conversation "Hello, torchic. How may I help you?"

"I'm on 'grocery duty' today! Man oh man, am I lucky you were still open! Gallade would skin me alive if I missed this week's groceries!" She smiled brightly, handing the altaria a note with words from Gallade himself, before noticing the treecko silently looking at her.

"Hi there! Have I seen you before? I'm torchic from Team Shine! Work for the guild and all." She tried to make small talk with the grass type.

"We are… not acquainted, no." He responded, staring at her scarf, noticing the exploration badge with a golden symbol on the middle, proof of her rank.

"You sure? Wait…" She gazed deeply at him, making him feel even more uncomfortable around her.

"I know! You're that guy who keeps staring at the guild, like, every day! I sometimes pass by you when I'm returning from dungeons!" she nods confidently, beaming her beaky smile at him.

"Soooo- You thinking of enlisting? looking for a team? Maybe we could hang o-" Before the excited torchic could continue, Vert interrupted her suddenly "I'm fine. Thanks for the offer." He said, trying his best not to sound cold nor disrespectful.

Before the torchic could respond, the grass type turned around and walked away in a somewhat fast pace, leaving the confused torchic behind, before she could try and follow him, the flying type, whom was previously watching the interaction with a hopeful expression, stopped the female with but a gesture.

"Don't. There's no point. He needs his time alone, dear." She solemnly said, sighing and looking worriedly at the lonesome Vert.

"...Did I say something wrong?" The fire type asked, the altaria responded by shaking her head "Then why…"

"He just… needs to think things through." Lyra returned to grabbing the guild's essentials, written in the paper handed to her previously.

"But then why… is he going out of town?" she asked the older female, looking at the strange treecko one last time before he vanished in the darkening distance.

* * *

**-Marble Cave-**

**Floor: 9**

The cave was even more breathtaking than the Oasis the riolu previously was in, walls made of the bluest minerals conceivable, all softly illuminating the cave almost magically. The ground was somewhat damp, with some lonely, rogue rocks being found in rooms and corridors, most of them smooth and brilliant, like their counterparts on the walls. And the place was chilly, too… with gusts of wind that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Unsure of where to go, since the winds were chaotic and seemingly came from random directions, the blue canine walked along the room he found himself in, passing by some corridors, most of which took him to dead ends.

Resisting the urge to hum to break the eerie silence of the cave, the riolu instead focusing on looking for patterns to avoid walking in circles… until he noticed a sleeping body, on one of the otherwise empty rooms.

The riolu was relieved, at long last he could ask for directions! Approaching carefully to not seem like he was being rude, trying not to be too sneaky either.

The pokémon was a canine very much like himself, though unlike him, the other pokémon was clearly a quadruped, and was mostly covered in gray, messy fur, with a black face, paws and throat. It woke up as soon as the other stepped in the room, to which the riolu responded by dropping any pretence of being quiet, his one free paw up in a gesture of good will.

"Greetings! I'm a little… lost, see? Could you perhaps help me find the way out?" He tried to be as quick and precise with his request, smiling a bit sheepishly, like a kid lost due to stupidity.

The hyena-like canine slowly got closer, growling, it's eyes that of a savage killer, his scary snarls disturbing the fighting type "Um… I mean no harm! Sorry to disturb your na-"

He was interrupted by the beast, that jumped aiming for his throat, to which the riolu barely dodged, the attacker managing to hit its wicked teeth on his shoulder, just barely enough to hurt.

He put his free palm in front of himself, trembling and trying to reason with the pokémon "C-Cut that out! I'm friendly!" the fighting type tried one last time, panicking. When the dark type lunged forward to try and bite his leg, the riolu tried to counter with a punch, that was so ineffective that the maddened beast had the chance to reply by biting the male's paw, only letting go after the panicked riolu kicked him in the throat, dropping some scarlet red blood on the ground from his bitten left paw. But most importantly- His grip wavered, and the blue magical fruit from before fell, the male's right arm hurting from the sudden effort his body had to go through.

The confused and startled ex-human clutched his right shoulder with his bleeding paw, eyes wide, staring deeply at the quadruped, guarding the berry to avoid giving its prey a chance to heal, its killer intentions were as clear as the blue marble around them. He knew he could not fight, nor with this strange body, nor with his dominant arm still recovering.

Before the hyena could attack again, the blue pokémon turned his tail and fled, thanking the heavens that he wasn't limping- which would be his doom in this situation. A few pained grunts escaped his muzzle, as his arm yet again ached from the sudden pressure he was putting himself in.

It wasn't necessary for him to look behind him to see the poochyena following him with psychotic snarls of pure hatred.

"_I have an idea! Please, body, be like I think you are… I'm gambling on it."_ he thought, not running at a random direction at all. Passing by a few familiar empty rooms, droplets of blood painting the cave floor red, finally ending up on a corridor with two possible paths.

The riolu suddenly had a flash, similarly to the one in the oasis, time stopping for him for but a second, as he saw a dark blur of black in front of him, on one of his possible escape routes, and as soon as he returned to his senses, he could hear an all too familiar snarling and feral growls coming from there, following the scent of blood it seems.

"_Another one? Seriously!?" _He growled a bit himself, being forced to turn right and lose some speed, as another poochyena appeared from the corridor in front of the one he was running on, teaming up with its beastly kin, the two of them so close, he could feel them trying to chomp on his tail already.

Stumbling, clutching his tail with his hurt left paw, he looked desperately at the walls, and smiled as he recognized the pattern _"Yes! Now please, body… Be as cool as I think you are!"_ he prayed to the heavens above, running straight into a dead end, the poochyenas jumping to catch their cornered prey…

And in a insane rush of adrenaline, the riolu planted one of his feet-paws on the wall, its muscles and momentum allowing him to put his other one soon after, the two feral animals behind him already in the air, ready to bite him, and take him down, though he was lucky, managing to walk 3 feet on the wall in two quick steps, his instincts guiding him on the nimble maneuver, as he felt one of the canines' maws get so close that he could feel their breath on his fur.

On the third step, he managed to gain enough height to avoid the jumping dark types, on his fourth and final step, he jumped back, using the impulse to gain some distance, landigg wobbly on the corridor's floor, his heart hammering in his chest, a bright smile forming as he heard pained whimpers behind him, right after the sound of collision. He then looked at his paw, and the bumps behind it, clutching it confidently, as more small bits of blood leaked from the wound, the male ending up sprinting down the corridor _"You rock, weird blue magical dog body!" _

The blue canine was already panting, with his tongue out, when he at last returned to the room that started this mess, following the trail of his own blood, In a split second, he tried to look for the magical berry, but found nothing close to the blood stains that painted the ground where he stood. _"This place… it doesn't joke around…"_

Then as that second passed, he turned around to check his back, seeing one stalker still in hot pursuit, its nose bleeding, eyes even crazier with rage, just now catching up, each step screaming murderous intent.

"You don't know when to quit, buddy!" he screamed in frustration, eyeing one of the smooth, luminous blue stones on the ground, quickly positioning himself to grab it in his mad run, after crossing the room, he decided to gamble once more.

"Hey, jackass!" he screams, turning around and growling, planting his feet on the ground, on a sudden halt "**CATCH!**" he screams, throwing the stone with such force that he heard a loud 'WHOOSH', and a even louder dog whimper, the blue stone shattering as it made contact with the dark type's body, that fell immediately after.

The riolu looked stunned at his own feat, looking at his bleeding paw once more, before noticing that his ever so persistent foe was getting up, looking all bruised, anger and primal rage being the only things fuelling the thing's resolve.

"_C'mon, just fall already!"_ he muttered inside his own mind, turning around and resuming his running, his muscles aching, his heart hurting on his chest, though thankfully the poochyena was just as messed up, not being able to match the headstarted, yet exhausted fighting type.

And after crossing this final corridor with his body on the brink of collapse, the riolu found the weirdest thing to put his hope on: stairs. In the middle of a room in a giant blue cave.

"_Not quite the light at the end of the tunnel… but I'll take it!"_ he smiled and pressed on with renewed resolve, dashing towards the stairs, and as soon as he started going up, moved by a sixth sense he didn't know he had, he ducked and avoided the poochyena's own last ditch effort, jumping with its fangs shining purple, in a wicked looking attack, that was aimed at the riolu's head/neck.

After missing and seeing its prey get away, the poochyena laid down after landing on its back in a painful manner, not having the energy to fall on its paws. The last thing the riolu saw as he ran up the stairs was the dissipating canine, becoming a dark, creepy dust, vanishing in the air.

And just like that, the riolu suddenly found himself staring at a dark orange sky, sundown… nightfall approaching. He made it out of that beautiful hellscape. He could see a large, rocky cave with a blue entrance coated in darkness behind him, Marble Cave…

He took one step back, distancing himself from the blue nightmare that was that cave. Adrenaline running out again, feeling the exhaustion attack his body, the sharp pain in his slinged right arm, the burning pain on his shoulder, and the acute pain on his left paw.

"I.. sure got roughed up…" he mused, unable to think of anything more complex or meaningful to say, far too tired to even speak for long.

The riolu limped his way towards the opposite direction from the cave, towards the bushy forest that covered the dungeon, noting how much smaller he looked compared to the bushes and trees.

Finally, he decided he couldn't take any longer, sitting behind a bush, underneath a tree, his back to it, as he tried his best not to slumber, reviewing the events of this bizarre day, from the moment he woke up, to the deadly chase, to now, as he gazed upon the beautiful green of the plants, trying to make sense of this madness.

"_Who… am I? Why… am I here? Where is… 'here'?..."_

* * *

**-Sunray Forest-**

The treecko had finally stopped running when he was sure that he was in the outskirts of town, in the lonely sunray forest. Popular only for those that wished to test their skills at dungeoneering, and thanks to the curfew, that target audience wasn't (normally) available.

Vert walked sadly along the trail he memorized, feeling invigorated by the solitude given by the green wilderness. Once his memory kept returning to his interaction with Lyra and the torchic, the treecko begun doing something he would never do in public: express his emotions.

First he kicked the ground beneath him, putting two hands on his scaly forehead _"You simply can't be approachable for once, can you? That's why you always run away to hide here, or home."_

He hisses a bit at himself _"One yes. Just a simple 'yes' would fix half the problems of your life, and you are so weak, you can't even muster the strength to do that!"_

Walking straight he shakes his head, opening the bag he was carrying, picking up a strange bracelet, white colored and bland, but bursting with energy, as if waiting for someone to give it shape and color.

"_Looplet of friendship my ass! Five years, and not a single true friend, all fakes… like this thing...worthless…"_ He mentally spat the last word, as if he wasn't referring to the bracelet.

His expression reflected his internal turmoil, grabbing the thing with his right hand, turning around, and tossing it with full force, angrily tossing it at a random direction.

...Though the sudden "OW!" that came as a result was so out of nowhere, that the usually composed grass type couldn't help but jump, eyes wide, slapping himself in the forehead, running desperately towards the direction of the sound.

After easily tracking down where he'd thrown the object, the treecko passed by the bush to reveal a riolu, eyes closed, laying knocked out cold on the ground. With a large bruise on his forehead… but other than that, bite marks on were present on his shoulder and left paw, and he could also see a immobilized right arm, together with clear signs of exhaustion.

"Oh my holy celebi! I'm so sorry!" Vert exclaimed, kneeling at the riolu's side, grabbing the back of his head, trying to wake him up "Hey! Stay with me!... Hey!" He tried, breathing a sign of relief when he saw that the pokémon was merely asleep, knocked out but breathing, and not dead or something.

The treecko couldn't help but notice the scarf that was being used as an improvised sling, and the droplets of blood that lead to marble cave _"Oh no! Is he an explorer?"_ He was paralyzed at the possibility.

After further pondering though, he calmed down a bit _"He has no badge, bag nor a team, apparently. Explorers usually don't take this long to leave dungeons...He does not have dungeon sickness either, so he didn't faint there…" _he tilted his head, unsure of what exactly this… weird civilian was doing in there by himself. And how he survived a hard dungeon like Marble Cave.

What made him stop his pondering and gasp was the looplet he'd thrown, no longer white and boring, now blue with red bits, with 6 small notches, as if they are meant to be filled by something. The design now looking… cooler, and unique, different from how it was before.

"_Change is only possible if you take action. Everything will remain the same if you stay idle" _The words from the wise old female echoed in his mind, and for the first time in a long time, the treecko felt his blood boil, and his mind stay focused and clear. He was going to help this pokémon, no matter what.

The two seemed to be almost the same size, with the riolu being a few inches taller, and weighting way more when compared to the plant-like nimble reptile. Making the process of carrying the mammal being way harder than it should, but it mattered not, because the treecko had made a decision.

Before going away, he looked at the transformed looplet once more, deciding to pocket it. _"It… Reacted. It… Finally reacted…" _he shockedly thought, pausing for a moment.

"_No time to think about that. I must help this pokémon! Not only is he hurt- I may have worsened his condition!" _as he carried the pokémon to his house, he couldn't help but allow his mind to wander off into a unwanted train of thought _"...Maybe, just maybe… I can befriend him and… achieve my dream…!"_

He stole one last glance at the riolu, before mustering the will to carry the bigger, heavier male towards his home in the outskirts of the town, in the woods, the sun finally setting behind them, almost as if on cue, night falling behind the two pokémon.

"_Rhymes that keep their secrets_

_Will unfold behind the clouds_

_And there upon a rainbow_

_Is the answer to a never ending story"_

* * *

"**So this is how it begins? Excellent. The duo has already been formed. The countdown to the final hour has begun. The Door to Discordia shall be unsealed at last…"**

* * *

Author's notes: I am unsure if I cramped too much in the introduction, or if I didn't add enough! I feel as if I left some introductory things out, sadly. But anyhow, as I mentioned before, I would greatly appreciate any form of criticism, and sincere opinions on what you thought, my dear reader!


	2. His Name is David

**Episode 2: His Name is David**

In a city covered in fog, illuminated by streetlights, with a heavy rain falling down, one could get quite a wide amount of emotions when looking at the sight. Big, complex buildings made of the toughest metal never ceasing to amaze the small looker, such a wide variety of designs, forms and colors! Endless possibilities, like those that dwell within those wondrous constructions!

The pouring rain only added another blend to the mixed flavor that was the city's landscape, though the little observer couldn't get too close to the raindrops, held on a short leash by his mother, the jacket wearing child had no complains. Hidden by the umbrella she carried, and kept away from the crowd that surrounded them.

They neared a underground entrance, to the subway station, a neat solution to avoid the rain, and to have a shortcut to their destination. The mother and child were mostly silent as they walked, the toddler spending his time hugging his blue plushie with his free left hand, though it was currently being kept safe from the crowd and the rain inside the boy's backpack, while he flied away from reality in his own mind.

Though he was pulled away from his imaginary world when they passed by a tall, weary and sad-looking man, alone in his little corner of the underground corridor. The kid stopped, to which his guardian soon followed, realizing what her son was doing.

"Don't look at him, sweety…" whispered his mother, to which the boy replied with a confused expression "Why not, mommy?" said the child "He's cold! Why is he sleeping here?" he pointed at the man's 'bed', made of journals, proceeding to then shake off his mother's hand, approaching the lying man, searching for something in his backpack.

"Here, mister! You're cold, you can sleep with him!" The bold toddler announced, the man was puzzled as to why he was talking to him. He had never seen this child before. His mother seemed to say something, but the kid ignored it completely,

With extended hands, the dirty man suddenly felt a very soft and warm material touch his hands, instead of the usual cold and hard coins. Some batteries soon accompanied the cute toy.

The man was in shock, his eyes staring deeply at the soft, blue furred plushie in his hands. His expression conflicted with so many emotions "You can hug him when you feel cold or sad! He even sings a song if you do!" the child explained, smiling innocently at him, his mother apparently having enough, grabbing back his hand.

"It's daddy's birthday. You know that. Daddy is still waiting for us." she softly said, trying to convince the child through rational arguments, the only things that seemed to work 100% of the time on him.

"Okay mommy... Bye mister!" the kid wavered, before being led by his mother towards their destination, the young man still stunned behind them, looking at the two, who seemed very happy.

"Mommy, do you think he will like it?" the child decided to ask, innocently and smiley as ever.

"Of course he will. He will love it, because you gave it with love, David." his mother replied with a smile, apparently infected by David's ever present one.

* * *

**-?-**

And as soon as that strange dream ended, the riolu jumped from the 'bed' he was in, for a brief second lost in time, he thought all of the previous events were just a psychedelic bad dream. That was proven as false when the youth looked at his bandaged left palm, that instinctively went to cover his eyes from the oppressive sunray that disturbed his sleep, not long after, he felt his wrapped up right arm, covered all the way up to his shoulder. _"At least I can still use my right hand."_ he thought, closing and opening said member without much issue.

The riolu panicked once more when he didn't recognize his surroundings, trying to remember exactly what happened the previous day _"Ok, Turned into a magical animal, woke up in a 'oasis', met a talking turtle, fought against two black hyenas, escaped a 'dungeon', rested on a forest…"_ and as soon as his last memory surfaced, so did the pain that came with it.

Cringing a bit, the former human put his left paw on his forehead, feeling yet another bandage, wrapped around the top of his head, he remembers now: being bruised straight in the head, and fainting not long after. But then again, why was he here? When looking down in search of a blanket, the riolu was reminded of the new bizarre world he was in. The wounded male was laying on a bed made of straws- more of a nest, really. Big enough for his small body to comfortably fit in.

He used his unbandaged paw to feel up the nest, his sensitive pad softly touching the primal-looking bed, just now noticing how warm and cozy it actually was, definitely comfortable to lay on… though he wondered if his new body was the culprit behind such a positive reaction. After this brief wondering, he looked around the place, deciding to examine his surroundings, and like expected, the location he found himself in was… rudimentary.

The shelter he found himself at seemed, for a lack of a better term, to be the inside of a tree. With everything made out of some form of wood, save for the little straw bed the former human found himself at, with roots spreading on the walls. The decoration of this place was also… lacking, again for a lack of a better term. The only things he could see in this little room were a window (which looked more like someone just drilled a hole in the wall) that showed the lonely woods outside, a simple table (that seemed way too much like a small cut down tree trunk to be a coincidence), and a shelf, filled with… books? And… Tomes? Scrolls? They looked like those classic medieval manuscripts, all wrapped up and mixed with the books on the shelf. There wasn't even a door, it was just an open passage to another room.

What made this otherwise dull environment seem more idyllic were the many leaves that decorated the natural setting around him- making it appear to be like even more of a naturalistic tree-house than it already did. There even were a few flowers here and there, all growing in this fairytale-esque home, making the roots appear prettier than what they would otherwise look without the colorful plants to adorn them.

Visions of the dream he had flashed through, though he couldn't see the faces of the humans in his dream, nor most of the specific details, he still felt that he knew who he was. The child… The idea that he was that child was almost a fact to him, though he was still feeling resistance from his own mind, what if that wasn't him? What if he was embracing a lie for closure? The thought scared him, this uncertainty _"...David, huh?" _he repeated the name in his mind, clutching his right paw into a fist. This name… Resonated with him. Maybe his memory was slowly returning? Maybe it was more scrambled than ever? He wasn't sure.

The fighting type shook his head, not wanting to ask too many question, that he knew couldn't be answered, instead he decided to reach out and grab one of the nearby leaves, pulling it from one of the roots close to his bed, and as he felt it, he got confirmation that it was indeed a genuine plant, in a genuine root _"So delicate…" _he acknowledged, letting go of the small green lifeform, watching as it was promptly carried by a passing breeze, flying towards the open passage to the next room of this house.

"This continent of ours is well known for its natural beauty." A young male voice said, from the same 'door' where the plant was taken, making the riolu let out a small gasp of surprise, being so lost in his thoughts and analysis of his environment that he, ironically, didn't notice the reptile at the door "They say that no grass is greener than ours. I can't say I know for sure, but I can see why they'd proclaim that." the green gecko continued, watching as the leaf was taken away.

He stood at the door with a polite smile, carrying a big piece of wood, with a cup made of a similar material on top, and even a little plate was present, with colorful berries furnishing it "I see that you are awake. That's a relief, but it is to be expected, you fighting types are some of the most resilient pokémon!" the treecko kept his smile, as he approached the sitting riolu with the traid still in his hands.

The former human dropped his guard, with a breath of relief _"He talks… And if he is being so pleasant, he must not be like those dogs from before…Also, 'pokémon'? I think I may have heard before, but I don't remember it, unlike most random trivia. Guess I am a 'pokémon' now..." _he rationalized.

Then, his eyes widen for a brief moment _"CRAP! I know nothing about this world's mannerisms… I don't know how pokémon handle things! It's like I have no common sense! I can't say the truth right away, either… I will sound like a lunatic!" _he frantically thought, examining the green pokémon before him, in search for any signs that the other might be finding him strange, finding none _"What should I say…?"_

Vert looked down at him with that smile plastered on his scaly face still "You must be parched. I made you breakfast, didn't know what you like, so I tried to blend in as many flavors as I could!" the grass type carefully put the traid and its contents in front of him, on top of the straw bed.

"I hope it is to your liking." he politely and calmly said as he let go of the food he prepared. Sniffing the air more carefully, the riolu's nose was assaulted with a powerful, delicious scent. The treecko stared at him in an expecting way, and the former human could no longer keep his stoic composure _"... I'll just be me. Let's hope I'm actually likable…"_

The fighting type begun by grabbing a single piece of a cut berry, noticing a green liquid coating all of them, making it have the appearance of a gourmet delicacy. As he put the barry in his muzzle, he picked up the cup and drinked a bit of the greenish blue liquid in there.

As soon as the blend was registered by his taste buds, the riolu blushed, his aura feelers moving a bit, a smile immediately infecting his muzzle, red eyes wide as he swallowed "I-It's good! Thank you." was all he could say, digging in, while the treecko looked at him almost obsessively, like one would look at a teacher when he was about to say if you passed his class or not. The riolu didn't seem bothered by that at all though.

* * *

Vert was immensely worried at first, unsure if he was doing a good job at starting small talk, the riolu being far too silent, but as soon as he responded, and thanked him, he breathed a silent sigh of relief _"Good. He liked my cooking. His initial silence must have been due to hunger and thirst. Thank Mew I didn't mess up my timing… If I stick to my plan, I'm sure he'll be my partner!"_

"This is delicious! What's in it?" the happy fight type asked, with his mouth full, digging in like a champ. _"Asking what's in the food is usually a sign of sincere enjoyment. Respond appropriately!" _he cleared his throat, with the faintest of blushes on his cheeks, thankfully the other male didn't seem to notice his other blushes, so this one was most likely safe from the unaware Emanation Pokémon "I made it with berries I had, the juice is a mixture of lum and oran- two of my favorites." he bashfully scratched the back of his head.

After finishing about one fourth of the plate, the riolu cheerfully kept talking "I guess they are my favorites now too! I feel rejuvenated!" as soon as he finished the sentence, he eagerly begun gulping down on the juice once more.

"_Wow. Didn't know I was that great of a cook. But then again, it must be his starvation that is making him like it so much. I must appreciate the compliment nonetheless." _he nodded to himself "Yes, it's the least I could do after accidentally hitting you in the head!" Vert replied, with a smile, which made the riolu stop and stare at him for a moment _"DAMN IT"_

He was very much surprised when the riolu put his right paw in his muzzle, trying to suppress a giggle, having difficulties swallowing what he had in his maw "...Hahah! Well, I'd let you hit me as much as you'd like, if you'll cook me more!" he winked playfully, after swallowing.

For the first time in this conversation, the grass type did not need to plan his reaction, his heart beating a little faster, blushing more and chuckling along with a smile and a hand in his face "Heh… Well, I'd much rather talk to you, than throw you stuff!" he responded, just as playfully.

"I guess I prefer that way too, after all, you're quite fun to talk too. Also, it hurts less." he ended with another giggle, and a bite at one of the berries "Seriously, did you throw a rock at me? That thing hurt!" he smiled in a jolly way, rubbing his bandaged forehead, were the looplet had hit him.

"_He seems to be easygoing! Good, this fun loving attitude may allow- Oh damn, I must answer that quip_ _before I miss the comedic timing!"_ he coughed and cleared his throat, as if preparing for a speech "It was a looplet, so technically, it was harder!... Sorry!" Vert smiled sheepishly.

The blue pokémon seemed confused at first, tilting his head, before he cutely rolled his scarlet eyes with a smirk, softly punching Vert on the shoulder "Consider yourself forgiven… this time!" the canine pokémon said, mockingly threatening the grass type, earning another chuckle from the wood gecko.

"_He is endearing. Charismatic… Everything_ _I am not." _he mentally concludes, rubbing the shoulder were he was punched, feeling a small sting of pain, as if the riolu had somehow miscalculated his strength in the clearly playfull action. Silently allowing the riolu to savor the rest of his food, which was almost nonexistent, thanks to his hearty eating.

"You have a lot of books!..." the riolu pointed out, with his mouth still full, gnawing wildly at his food _"A cue for me to tell of the things I like!... Hopefully I don't bore him with the information…"_

"Yes! Most of them are history books. I am fascinated with tales from the past, and with legendary explorers, like Ampharos the dashing wanderer, Slowking the wise, or Wigglytuff the prodigy. Others are battle strategies, and dungeon guides." he explains, to which the riolu nods, as if not understanding a chunk of the things he said.

"I like telling and hearing stories too… Maybe you could tell me about some of these 'legendary explorers' sometime? I don't think I know 'em!" he admitted a bit silently.

The treecko tilted his head _"Does he live under a rock? These are some of the most famous explorers ever!... Maybe he simply knows them by another title? Questions for later!"_

After gulping down the current load of food, the riolu mildly surprised the treecko by turning left to face him, offering the few berries that remained in his plate "You want some?"

The green one smiled and politely declined "No, they were specially made for you! Don't worry, I already ate." the treecko dismissed his concerns, to which the canine replied by nodding.

Vert proceeded to shift, now proceeding to sit in front of the eating blue pokémon, still innocently leering at him _"Now, next the step, a personal question!"_

The grass pokémon cleared his throat "Sooo… I haven't seen any riolus around here. Where are you from?" Vert casually asked on the most friendly tone he could possibly muster, cringing when the riolu stopped, looking down in nervous way, as if he had been accused of murder. Vert's eyes were widened, his collected persona cracking a bit _"Curses! Too soon? I knew I should have put 'personal question #1' later on the steps! I might have to make another pla-"_

His panicked thoughts were interrupted by the male in front of him, who seemed to be having an inner turmoil of his own "I… Don't know." he said, his voice a bit low _"...Huh. That might explain a lot. Roll with it."_

* * *

"_Out of all the things he could ask- I can't lie my way out of this one- I know nothing of this world's geography to do so!..." _the riolu gagged a bit, finishing his food, stopping and looking down, his consciousness heavy _"This pokémon has been so friendly and kind, I would feel horrible if I just lied to his face, in his own house, while basking on his hospitality…"_

He gulped _"I don't have to tell the entire shocking truth, but I refuse to lie."_ the riolu nodded to himself, putting his head back up a looking into the gecko's eyes "I… Don't know." he answered his previous question, honestly.

At first the pokémon seemed surprised at the riolu's reaction, now he looked confused "You… 'Don't know'?" He repeated, clearly inquiring for a more complete explanation at the seemingly simple response given by the riolu.

"You must be lost. The town of Solaris, and Haxorus' guild are a little far from here, about 20 minutes… Maybe you are an explorer? Maybe you lived in Solaris?..." he suggested, trying to jog the riolu's memory.

"I… I'm sure I never heard neither of those names, I'm no explorer, whatever that is, never been to any 'Solaris', nor am I with any 'guild'..." he tried to explain as genuinely as he could.

"I'm sure I have 'amnesia'. I barely knew my name when I first awoke… which was not too long ago, in that blue cave..." he admitted, putting his paws on his cheeks in a overly dramatic gesture as soon as he finished speaking "That reminds me! It totally went over my head but… What's your name? I'm trying to remember mine!... You can call me David, for know, pleasure to meet you!" he offered his right paw to the other male.

The grass type looked even more stunned now, at the information dump he just received, having to take a moment to recollect his thoughts, looking deeply into the blue pokémon's eyes, as if scanning for a hint of ill will… not finding anything apparently.

"This fast?… um…" he blushed, looking to the side bashfully, his green cheeks now very clearly red, fact that made the canine pokémon tilt his head to the side "I-I… erm…" gone was the cool, calm and collected persona that the green gecko had previously assumed, now he was clearly out of his element, having to analyse and think to try and hopefully have some cohesion in his words.

"I… believe in you, David. As of my name…" his blush only seemed to get more intense, but he seemed to muster the will to go through "You can call me… Vert! Um… Delighted to get to know you!" he nodded, looking at the pokémon's paw a bit confused, reaching out slowly and carefully, letting out a very small gasp as David's paw grabbed his scaly hand like an arbok using wrap, then moving it up and down in the weirdest gesture Vert ever experienced.

As the treecko opened his mouth to question what he was doing, both of them suddenly hear a distressed cry for help. The shrieking made David immediately get up, a little awkwardly, and look at the widow, his ears moving by themselves as if to better locate were those screams were coming from. Vert soon followed, frantically looking around, before also looking out the hole in the wall with an alarmed expression.

"Help! Somebody! Please!" A loud, adult female voice screamed, both pokémon seeing a white-ish pokémon outside in the woods, apparently limping and walking slowly, desperation evident in her every move.

David pointed at her "Vert! Let's see what that's about! Quick, it must be an emergency!" the ex human declared, stumbling his way towards the widow, and stunning the grass type by jumping out of it "Wait! You're still reco-" he was silenced by a "OW!" and the sound of someone falling on their face.

Vert bit his lower lip, running to the room beside the bedroom, grabbing his classic worn out bag on a table right in front of the door, accidentally forgetting something, leaving behind a neatly folded and cleaned red scarf, that belonged to his guest, on the same table.

Wearing the old thing as he run back to the bedroom, deciding to follow his crazy comrade, jumping out of the window as well "I'm coming, Rio-"

Unlike the other male, Vert's downfall was not due to clumsiness, but a heavy, blue and black body that was now underneath him "Ow…That was a bad idea…"

The canine whimpered slightly, his head spinning as he spoke "Yeah… my tail got in the way… Not the best heroic entrance for sure…" the grass type agreed with David, feeling the soft fur of the jackal warming up his green scales "Yeah… we'll have to work on it." he blushed a bit when he noticed the embarrassing position they were in, the gecko's chest touching the riolu's back, with his head close to the other's yellow collar on his neck.

The two of them were just outside Vert's house, thankfully hidden by some bushes that covered the perimeter. The outside was just as breathtaking as David imagined, the harsh sunlight in the skies illuminating the seemingly endless forest that covered the area, with trees covering the skies, allowing the sunrays to pass by their foliage in small beams of light, shining with the droplets of water that remained after some rain, making the scene seem even more serene. Flowers bloomed on the small grass bellow, of various pretty colors, some of these beautiful plants adorned the trees and the bushes too. Even the cut tree trunks had either flowers or moss covering them, making the forest seem like a place where life refused to cease. Very poetic.

The one place that was not overtaken by green was the ground-colored road, that seemed to lead to the city. This earthy terrain was the place were a certain distressed female was limping and screaming for help, apparently not seeing the camouflaged house, nor the two comically downed pokémon.

"Sorry…" Vert picked himself up, dusting of his scales with another blush, shaking his head "E-Enough goofing around! We need to investigate the screams!" he proclaimed, desperate to forget this ever happened, offering his hand to the still fallen pokémon.

"Y-Yeah… That's a great idea…" the oblivious male said, as he accepted the offer with his unbandaged paw, which reminded him "Can't go out looking like a mummy…" David mumbled, taking off the gauze on his right arm and shoulder, and then on his left paw, noticing that not even a scar was present on his previously bruised members. The treecko just looked at him weirdly, but knew better than to question the quirky fighting type.

* * *

The duo promptly ran towards the direction of the voice, spotting an avian with an ovoid body, mostly white, with red and blue triangular markings over her underside, her wings were triangular, and one the them seemed heavily bruised, with cuts and slash marks all over it, making her walk clumsily with her small feet.

"Miss! What's wrong?" Vert hastily asked, the togekiss turned to face the duo, her eyes misty with tears, though they did not seem to be from the physical pain.

"Explorers! Thank the stars! I-It's my precious, b-beloved son… My dear boy Finn… W-We were attacked by a shape… A-And he… H-He…" her voice cracked, more tears escaping her small black eyes, it was utterly heartbreaking to see a grown up woman, especially a mother, drowning in so much fear and worry for her child.

"Where!? We might be able to find him!" the alarmed fighting type asked, not assuming the worst, to which the female nodded "W-We were attacked a-at M-Midnight Forest…" she sniffed, the treecko nodded "That's a mystery dungeon. David, we must get her to the guild, the doctor there will help, we must file a-"

The riolu, knowing where this is going, interrupted Vert "Not in a million years! Didn't you say that the guild was far from here? We need to help her son now!" he fiercely declared.

"You're hurt. You can barely walk without stumbling. And I am just not strong enough… As much as I hate to say it, we need the guild's help!" he pleaded, trying to convince the riolu to comply "We will only mess up, and make things worse! We need to retreat and let more experienced pokémon handle this!"

"We will accomplish nothing by going with her! We're just risking the child's life by wasting time!" he growled a bit, continuing "We will make things worse if we lose valuable time discussing possibilities! What's the point of thinking what could go wrong? If we don't take action, things **will** go wrong!" he argued back, remembering his brief yet almost deadly time in a mystery dungeon.

The last phrase in particular seemed to have a greater effect on Vert, making him nervously begin picking on his tail, looking at David and the togekiss, as if frantically thinking what do say or do.

"Besides, I'm better! The grub you made refreshed me!" he smiled, unwrapping the last bandage on his forehead, showing how much better it looked, only mildly scratched "And hey, you are smart! Dare I say wise too! You seem to always have an answer for any question, and always plan ahead. I admire that!" he cheered the other on, which made him hide another blush at the sudden barrage of compliments he received "I may not know a lot of things, but I do know we must do the right thing!"

"I-I can reach the guild by myself… just find my Finn, p-please! He's just a togepi!" the desperate female pleaded after David was done talking, which made the pensive treecko sigh, his eyes closed "... Move further down this path, and in about 15 minutes you'll reach Solaris Town, if you hurry. In 6 minutes or less, you'll get to Haxorus' guild. It's in the hill, you can't miss it…" he instructed the female.

Looking at David with stern eyes, Vert asked, almost rhetorically "Do you even know what a mystery dungeon is, Riolu?"

"No Idea. Know that the place I woke up is one, though." that blunt answer made Vert slap himself in the face, and nod "We'll rescue your child, miss… Please go take care of that wing." the grass type said.

Looking at the duo, far too desperate and sad to question these two's weirdness, she complied "I-I'll reward you when you're done! Please find my boy!" the togekiss begged one last time, turning around, and limping her way down the path to town.

"...I may be unable to help with this dungeon stuff, but at least I can give a motivational speech, huh? What'cha think?" the riolu suddenly said, breaking the ice.

"...It was… Corny. But inspiring." the cool grass type said, making the riolu smile impishly, turning round for a moment, not paying much attention when he whispered to himself "And sometimes, that's just what we need."

"Huh? Sorry, what was that?" David turned to face the treecko, with a oblivious and genuinely confused expression, clearly sincere about not hearing what was whispered.

And just like that, the duo were soon left to themselves "...Over here, I know the way." Vert said, as if coming back from a deep train of thought. Not looking at the riolu, turning around and expecting him to follow.

"...Ok, then." the riolu replied, picking up the pace after him, noticing how he was holding back from dashing full speed, as if knowing that the riolu wouldn't be able to follow him if he were to use his full potential.

"She assumed we were 'explorers'. Like you did with me previously… what does that mean?" David asked a bit loudly, as they ran through the path, easily jogging through.

"It's a profession. A way of life, if you will. They are those who you call when you need to explore a dungeon, find treasure, track down an outlaw or a missing pokémon, sometimes they even discover major historical breakthroughs!" Vert, despite clearly being focused on the way ahead, responded with glee. Dreamy, even. David responded with a nod as they dashed through the green trees, mossy tree trunks and the luscious grass.

David was proud to say that he only fell on his face three times on the way. And of these three times, only two he yelled 'Ow'. And of these two times, only once he needed Vert to pick him up. His feet-pads were far too sensitive and his tail was still very alien to him, he was glad that he was being clumsy outside the danger, and when he needed the most on the blue cave, his body cooperated.

They didn't take much longer to reach the dungeon's destination, crossing towards a darker and denser part of the forest, where the sky was almost fully covered by the trees, leaving only a few rays of sunlight here and there. This place seemed ominous.

"This is the border to the dungeon. Midnight Forest has only a single floor, but is quite big. A dungeon's insides are always randomized every time you enter, so I may not be 100% sure of the way." Vert explained, lecturing the other male "The only things that are always constant in a dungeon are the 'Dust Pokémon', or however you prefer to call them, mysterious beings that are the embodiment of the worst traits in pokémon, only inhabiting a vessel to channel and spread their hate. Always attacking and destroying whatever poor soul is lost within their domain…"

As the former human looked at him with interest and sheer curiosity, he continued, looking ahead, as if staring into the abyss "Another constant are the "Oases", safe havens where those who have a good perception can rest and replan their steps. We might expect lost items and traps too, but these are also unknown and randomized. Everytime you drop an object on the ground, it has the chance to be snatched by the dungeon, so be careful."

The riolu had his head tilted, trying to grasp at the sheer absurdity of what he was hearing "But… How do these things function? How can a place just… morph every time one goes through? And how can it create being of pure evil energy… Let alone give them shape and life?"

The treecko turned his head to stare the riolu in the eyes "Those things are far from 'alive'. Do not hesitate to put them down." David flinched a bit at the cold and serious tone Vert adopted "Dungeons are.. Mysterious. Think of them as partial distortions in a area. There are many theories on the how and the why they function the way they do, but you said it yourself, we have no time to waste. Keep those rules in mind, and we just might make it."

The riolu nodded, looking at the darker path ahead "So we just… Move forward?" the treecko nodded back, pointing ahead.

"This dungeon in particular, and other like it, drag us in as soon as we enter its invisible threshold in the forest. The only way out is through a 'portal', that may take form of a literal door, stair or opening." he explained, touching in the blue canine's shoulder "Are you sure you wanna go ahead? If you faint in there, you are absorbed and warp to somewhere else in the dungeon. You also get 'dungeon sickness', a wicked and utterly terrifying illness…Pray that you are rescued soon. If you die, well… You're dead." He explained morbidly "What worries me is 'the shape' that miss togekiss said attacked them. She seemed strong, I don't think it was an ordinary dust pokémon."

Despite the grim topic, the fighting type was resolute "Yes. We are here, the 'professionals' from the guild are not. We need to do the right thing. 'Shape' or not." he smiled, trying to keep the moral up "Let's go. We wasted enough time." he offered his paw to the grass type, to which he took.

They both clutched each other's hands as they walked into the negative hell in front of them, Vert picking and scratching his green tail with his free hand, while David gulped and tried to remain stoic, his legs shaking a bit, while his tail dropped a bit.

The riolu's ears moved a bit, almost having a heart attack as he heard something behind them. Ignoring it as his imagination, feeling his heartbeat only get faster.

A humanoid shape observed them with curiosity. Examining the blue one in particular, his every step, his every breath, as if analysing his everything, slowly tagging behind them, until he lost them from sight, signaling they were inside the insidious dungeon. This meant he could pick up the pace, after all, he loved those voyeuristic spy jobs.

* * *

**-Midnight Forest-**

They knew they were in as soon as the modestly lit forest turned purple and dark, now looking like something in a horror painting. The once lively and green forest now dark green, with purples all over it, no more flowers, only plain plants. Most of them looking oppressively pointy and tall, covering the skies completely, with no ray of sun visible. It seemed as if this place was locked in a eternal night of horrors, an eclipsed reality.

"Let's pray to Arceus that Flynn is alright…" Vert said, scanning the area "Don't stray too far from the main path, else you run the risk to be lost in this maze. Let's stick to it." he pointed at the green grass, that seemed to make a 'corridor' of sorts, leading them through areas.

"This place gives me the creeps. At least marble cave was nice to look at…" the former human muttered, sticking close to Vert, looking at the creepy wall of bushes and trees that seemed to lock them in the path "And I can swear I can hear stuff from there."

"Some dungeons are known for their illusions and maddening effects. Just ignore it." the calm grass type instructed, leading their group, analyzing and planning as they went, shuffling their bag "I have no items right now. Left all of my already limited exploration gear in the house…" he admitted.

"Hey, at least we-" the riolu grunted as he felt two green hands lock his muzzle shut, looking weirded out at the treecko, who pointed ahead, towards the straight path they were taking.

When the riolu seemed confused still, the gecko pointed at two vines that were suspiciously leaving the ground "Dust ambush." he whispered, mouth almost touching the blue pokémon's ear.

Vert then let go of his muzzle once he was sure that he knew the gravity of the situation. Before David could ask anything, Vert seems to blink, going almost invisible, suddenly appearing on top of the vines, kicking a yellow plant that David didn't even considered at all, leaving a clear wound on the thing, an opening on its 'head'.

Jumping back to, his partner's side, looking at him with serious, stern eyes "Go! Down it before it calls more!" he commanded, the riolu nodded, entering a generic battle pose, with his two paws closed on top of his neck "Ok!" he roared, trying to mimic his partner's previous move.

Rushing in, he noticed as the Dust pokémon left its hidden cover, revealing its body to be very thin and plant-like, with two big green leaves acting as its 'hands', on its stem-like body. David went in full speed, going for a punch, but was surprised when the bellsprout easily dodged out of the way, countering by vine whipping him on the cheek, making the emanation pokémon spin a bit, and get on his knees, clutching his face.

"David!" Vert worriedly screamed, the bellsprout opening its maw to call its kin, being silenced only by another quick, precise strike of the grass type, exactly on the open wound from before, his claws cutting the plant's face in half, becoming dust as soon as it fell on the floor, 'deceased'.

"Are you ok?" Vert quickly asked, kneeling at the blue pokémon's side. David was rubbing his red cheek, expression that of pure anger.

"I am… Bitch slap almost downed me…" he paradoxically answered, shaking his head "Sorry… I don't think I remember how to do battle…"

"'Don't remember battling'? That is impossible, you can't forget something so instinctual as fighting! Specially since you are a Fighting type! Unless…" he pondered for a bit, looking away.

"Don't… think too much about it. I'll try to not slow you down… just…" he blushed a bit, looking away too "You looked very cool doing that fast attack… Can I do it?..."

It was the treecko's turn to blush at the random compliment "Um… Sure! I think your species learns that. You just need to… Run forward, and… Allow your body to do the rest. You'll get the hang of it, Riolu… Try to not think, and let your instincts drive you. It's the best way I can phrase say it." Vert explained, now facing the blue jackal, who now seemed better from the strike dealt to him.

"I'll… see if I can do it. I did something similar before, but I was guided by the rush of the moment…" he got up, looking ahead and sighing.

"You're a fighting type. You'll get the hang of it in no time." Vert did the same, up and ready too "Let's keep the search going."

The riolu nodded, walking with him, shivering when he looked at the ground and saw no more weird plant pokémon in there. Just dust flying and vanishing in the air. Though something seemed to be dropped on the ground.

Moving to grab it, the riolu noticed it was some sort of seed, yellowish in color, but mostly the average brown "Hey Vert, what's this?"

When the treecko turned around calmly to answer that simple question, the shocked expression on his face as he as he laid eyes upon the small seed was far too comical to not be intentional, reaching out to touch David's paw, to stop him from moving the seed any further "That's a stun seed! Careful, if you press it too hard, it might react and… well, stun you! Like a thunderbolt at point blank!" he leered at the other male "And don't ever think about eating it. The effect is only intensified if you do. If getting shocked on the outside seems painful, think about that… on your stomach," both of them cringed a bit at the thought.

"Wow. I had no idea…" the riolu replied, sheepishly laughing "Man! Lucky I asked ya, else I might have swallowed that without thinking. Who would have guessed that a creepy forest has deadly edibles, huh?" he smirked at the treecko, who, judging by the horrified look on his face, didn't seem to get the joke.

"...I'm joking, I'm joking! I'm not going to stick everything I see on my mouth!" he giggled a little bit "I'm not that crazy!... You can let go of my hand now!"

Vert's horrified look turned into one of shock at the realization that indeed, he was golding the other's paw for far too long, picking up the seed, then turning to look at the pathway in front of them, shoving it down the empty bag "...urn me into a tamato berry." was all David could hear from the grass type's muttering, as he marched ahead, not looking behind him.

"...You seem to know a lot about these places. More than just for a hobby. Any reason in particular?" David, ever talkative, decided to break the ice as they finished their walk.

"...Other than for survival, I actually really admire the explorer lifestyle. I always dreamed of forming my own team. But I… couldn't join the city's guild. It's stupid, really… Just a childhood promise." Vert answered, almost drifting off into his thoughts once more.

"Huh… I believe that if inquire more, you'll answer with 'not the place, not the time', eh?" the riolu put his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner.

"Met me so recently, yet you know me so well." was his playful answer, the riolu snorted, rolling his eyes as they continued.

The creepy path they followed led them to a open area, again surrounded by nasty trees, though it had a very wide open center, purple grass covering this weird mix of plains and forest, even weirder, it seemed empty of all life.

"Flynn! Flynn, are you here!?..." David screamed at the top of his lungs, getting no response.

"...Why are there no hostiles here?" Vert thought out loud "I would expect at least three enemies in such a open area…" he clutched his right hand "We need to find the child now. There is something… Wrong here. More than usual."

David nodded, pointing at another path similar to the one they just came from "Let's go that way!" the treecko's reply was a simple shrug.

As they walked, David turned around quickly, suspecting that something was stalking them from behind, seeing nothing "...I'll have a panic attack if I don't learn to ignore this." he muttered, following Vert to where they were supposed to go.

This 'corridor' in particular was interesting because the trees seemed to be reaching down to grab them with their dead branches, the further they walked, the closer the trees seemed to get.

This next room was a bit more cramped than the previous one, but similar in design: a mix between a open plain, and a dense forest around it, with the plants rustling and moving as if wind was blowing, making them point to the west. Though as soon as they were passing, Vert put a hand on the riolu's chest "...Did you hear that?"

The fighting type looked at him weirdly, looking around frantically "What? More ambushers?" he whispered.

"No. I hear… something. Seems like some sort of slashing in the air. Could be an illusion, but I'm inclined to believe otherwise." when he noticed the riolu's skeptical expression, he explained further "There was no gust of air previously. Yet the leaves are moving. And what I hear matched the movement."

"I'll… Just trust you on that one." the riolu then pointed forward, towards three possible paths, north, east and west "If your theory is correct, then the wind must be coming from the eastmost path, yes?"

The treecko nodded "Actually, yes. This dungeon's distortion does not affect wind, similarly to many other forestal type dungeons. But that's something I'll have to explain later." he pressed on, while the riolu followed him.

This next path wasn't a linear trail- It had another corridor on the left. This time, there were no bushes covering the sides, but rocks, making it look like the way to a horror movie's evil castle.

Though as they were passing by, suddenly, David had another of those dizzy spells, his aura feelers glowing blue as they moved upwards, mystically. Following that, time stopped for him, if but for a second, while the emanation pokemon saw a small colorful rainbow of light ducked in a corner, blue and grey being the ones he could make out the most, together with some red, close to it, he could see a completely black one stalking the smaller being, darkness forming into a humanoid shape, with two more separated in a triangle position, closing the distance between them and the hiding one.

.And not very far, he sensed a green, black and red blend of colors, way bigger than the others, moving as if slashing something, then proceeding to go towards an unknown direction, walking in a very calm pace.

"Vert…" the grass type stopped, looking at where the riolu was, as he clutched his forehead, slowly feeling his consciousness return to reality, his aura feelers going back down, the one up ahead turning back to look at him "I think… I saw something. Many things, actually…"

He tried to think of a way to phrase it "A bunch of colors… one of them was small, and seemed to be… afraid. One was pitch black and… I detected another one… Searching. Attacking… As if playing a game…" he tried to explain, to which the treecko widened his eyes.

"That's Aura! Your latent powers must be awakening! Riolu, especially the untrained ones, are said to be able to read aura in random bursts… Maybe that's the case!" the grass type tried to ponder for a quick moment "...Maybe you've seen the child, Flynn? And… The pokémon that attacked them?"

"That doesn't sound unreasonable. Though this time, my perception of space was a little off…" he then grabbed the grass type, shoving him to the path on the left all of a sudden, pulling him by his scaly arm.

"Riolu? What's tha-" his protests were interrupted by the other male, who shushed him with a gesture to be quiet.

"Something big coming. Let's go!" he blurted, running down the dark path, not daring to look behind, stopping only when their backs were pressed against two tree's, that acted as this room's gate. Peeking just a bit, he could see nothing coming, which made him sigh in relief.

"I think it's-" before he could finish, he was tackled to the ground by his green companion, their chests touching, as the green one on top of him quickly got up, in his battle stance.

The riolu noticed a big crack on the tree he was taking cover… with four sharp as knives leaves acting as the clear culprits.

"Dust pokémon!" the grass type yelled, snapping David out of it, as he got up and stood at the grass type's side "Thanks. Again." the riolu muttered when they were side by side.

The pokemon in front of them seemed to be wearing a beige mask, with a large nose on it, skin completely brown, with a single large leaf on its head, using some sort of power to draw nearby leaves, and toss them at the duo, aiming most of them at Vert.

Vert dodged easily, with a single one cutting his left arm, but not posing any serious threat. David only had to dodge one, then he had a sudden realization _"I sensed… shit!"_

"VERT, LOOK OU-" his partner's cry of pain interrupted him, as two more nuzleaf appeared from the corners, surrounding them in a triangular position, more cuts appearing on the treecko, the two new arrivals focusing on a single target as well, a barrage of leaves mauling the grass type.

"Sneaky piece of-" the riolu surprised the two grass/dark types by charging angrily at the one on the left, landing a punch straight on his face, so strong, that the impact pushed the dust pokémon a few feet.

Glaring at them, Vert decided to make a move, blinking and kicking the right one on the gut to press David's attack, not noticing as the one behind them jabbed at his back, in a cheap shot, resulting in the grass type opening his mouth, spitting some saliva as he was winded.

When the nuzleaf on the right tried to attack the grass type again, the riolu angrily intervened "I'm your opponent, Dumbass!" he shouted, punching the dark type in the rib, the angry dust pokémon viciously pounding the fighting type with its forelegs.

The left nuzleaf shrieked an otherworldly cry as it charged up a greenish energy, while the one from behind mercilessly punched Vert two more times, one in the throat, the other in the head, blood dripping from his mouth, clearly injured, but even so, he managed to blink once again, quickly scratching the leftmost nuzleaf, and kicking the one that just punched him, panting in exhaustion.

The charged nuzleaf smirking as he punched the riolu, who couldn't react to the attack that merely to get him out of the way, aiming for his true target, brutally knee striking the grass type, making him cough more saliva and blood. When the riolu tried to kick in retaliation, the nuzleaf simply jumped back to its former position, Vert clutching his aching stomach, dazed.

"CRAP!" the riolu growled, deciding to try a bold move, closing his eyes and begging for his body to cooperate.

The three nuzleaf, now that one was charged up, decided to put the treecko down for good. The one from behind joining the duo, now in the middle of them, as the trio channeled their dark energy on their fists, ready to each jab him on the head, throat and heart. Vert could only close his eyes and use his arms to cover himself, preparing for the upcoming barrage of unblockable faint attacks.

But then, when he opened his eyes, he was shocked to see the riolu, covered in a blue aura, receiving each of the painful blows in his place, throwing himself in front, arms crossed in a defensive pose. The enemies were shocked, but paid no mind, instead punching him even harder to try and punish him for this seemingly stupid deed.

Their confident grins were soon wiped out when the smaller pokémon roared in rage, dealing a single, heavy blow on the leftmost one, throwing him with the unleashed force of the counter, reflecting on him the pain he received… the super effective move making him fall on the ground, clutching its stomach, as it started to become dust, starting on its feet and soon, he was erased from existence.

The other two took a step back, looking at their fallen kin, then gazing at the corridor where the two young pokémon came from, and surprised the duo by turning around and dashing in the opposite direction.

"Cowards!..." growled the former human, fists clenched into fists dramatically, the shiny blue aura dissipating as the battle ended. He ran to his partner's side, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, sustaining the injured male "Vert! I'm sorry! I wasn't fast enough and-"

The grass type followed the trend of not letting David finish a sentence by raising his hand, to gesture him to stop and listen "It's ok… You did amazing. I've never seen a pokémon using counter before. You looked… very cool!" he gave the jackal a tired smile and a thumbs up, repeating the compliment from earlier. Not voicing the fact that counter wasn't properly used by the riolu.

It was David's turn to smile and blush a bit "I don't know how exactly I did it, to be honest!... I just threw myself in there, and gambled that something would help me." he bashfully admitted.

"I told you… The thrill of battle will awaken the fighter in you." Vert nodded, catching his breath, and wiping the flesh cuts left by the leaves, not bleeding anymore, though still tired from the beating "I'm glad I had resistance. Else those projectiles would have messed me up…"

The confused expression on the riolu's face scared the treecko "...Don't tell me you forgot about type resistance and effectiveness…? You knew that you had resistance against those faint attacks, hence making the gamble more favorable to you, right…?"

Looking at the side, with a comic expression of nervousness, the riolu desperately tried to dodge raising even more suspicion "Um… Wait… I saw someone hiding from those three… could it be…?" he half whispered.

"FLYNN!? Are you here!? We came to bring you to your mother!" he took a step forward, screaming and looking around, trying not to see the heavy stare his partner was sending his way.

Both of them were rather surprised when a meek, male voice answered "R-Really?" suddenly, they saw a petit pokémon leaving a bush, light yellow Pokémon with a round body that is still encased in its eggshell filled with blue and red shapes, all battered and bruised, his tired eyes exposing his apparent exhaustion, dirt covering the small one's body. This child has been through a lot.

They dashed towards the little boy, the bruised treecko kneeling, his scaly hand trying to comfort the kid "It's ok now… We are here to rescue you. Your mother's worried, you know?" he reassuringly smiled.

Flynn was clearly holding back tears, shivering and trembling "Y-You two fought the boogeymon? You defeated the bad pokémon?" both of the older males looked at one other, unsure, and on edge, remembering 'the shape' that miss togekiss mentioned.

"You seem to be too old to be scared of the boogeyman. Let's go. Vert, how do we leave?" the determined riolu asked.

"As I said, we just need to find the exit. The 'portal out' if you want a less boring answer." he then turned to look down towards Flynn "We promise we'll get you there. Riolu, could you?"

It wasn't hard to understand the cue, he nodded in response, kneeling in front of the togepi, beside his partner "Sure. Here." David picked up the little pokémon much like one would with a baby, cradling him with one paw supporting his bottom, while the other supported his back.

"Now let's get out of here fast. I can barely fight normally, let alone carrying you, Flynn." the former human muttered, in a humorous tone.

"I-I'm sorry, mister Riolu…" Flynn shyly replied, his face on the Riolu's shoulder, looking at the treecko, who, after being sure the togepi was being properly held, stepped in front of the duo to lead them deeper in the forest. Turning around for a moment, suspiciously looking behind the Riolu and the Togepi, having heard something. It must have been another mind trick of the dungeon.

"That does bring up the question…" David decided to talk to the one he was carrying "How did you survive your encounter with the shape? What was he after? Is he a 'Dusk' Pokémon?"

"He means Dust." Vert corrected, silently hearing the conversation, but focusing on the path ahead, towards an exit.

The togepi shivered when the memories from what happened surfaced "I-I… was with mommy and… after the bad pokémon attacked, I ran without thinking… Away from mommy. The boogeymon followed me, cornered me.. H-He said he wanted to… play a game… Ask some… Questions... I used the technique mommy taught me, where I use my head and focus on my wagging finger, to unleash a move!..." he greatly surprised the duo at how bravely and precisely he recollected such traumatic events.

"Metronome…" Vert whispered, still waiting for him to continue. David was impressed by the little kid's courage, though his thoughts were focused on the sheer absurdity of that move _"Use a move by wagging a finger?... Damn I wanna try it so bad, but I'd look like an absolute idiot.."_

"I-I blinded him and… ran. Then I kept running and hiding, until those other bad pokémon followed me. The boogeymon kills them when he arrives at a room, that's why I couldn't stop…" he finished, clutching the riolu's furry shoulder for comfort. In response, the former human softly touched his back.

"It's ok now. He won't get you. You are very brave. Your mom's gonna be impressed by your mettle." he reassuringly half-whispered towards Flynn, feeling as the togepi only hugged him tighter, the riolu doing the same, with a half smile.

"That would explain why this place is so empty… The shape has been clearing the rooms in search of Togepi… We are lucky to have found him when we did." Vert added, as they arrived at another empty room.

The trio quietly scanned the room, this wide area's grass was grey, as if they were rotting. The trees and bushes were similarly grim looking, on various shades of brown and grey, strangely enough, it seemed as though something had slashed the plants around them "Did those Green guys from earlier did this…?" David pointed at the cut down trees and bushes, noticing that the slashes seemed far too clean. Like a samurai had swiped at all of them at the same time.

"I don't think so…" Vert gulped, clearly suspecting the same as the other two.

"It was him! The boogeymon was here!" Flynn concluded, David and Vert nodded.

"No time to waste then. Let's go!" the riolu hugged the togepi even tighter, running in front of the treecko, taking the lead, and choosing another path for them to follow. Vert dutifully followed by David's side.

After a few minutes of aimlessly running, the trio rached a barren, completely destroyed room. This one seemed even more dreadful than the last, no more grass on the ground, with big cuts adorning the smothered trees and the very ground they stepped on.

What surprised them was a single armed Nuzleaf, its eyes red with anger, standing in the middle of the room, right hand clutching his left shoulder, growling at nothing. When he noticed the trio, he wobbly took a step forward, its only arm glowing a deep black, as he marched forward, only to be greeted by a quick kick on its stomach, throwing him backwards, as it pitifully disintegrated in front of the blue pokemon that suddenly attacked him.

David just remained quiet as the foe was defeated, not having any cheesy one liners to say, as he carried the togepi "...Sorry, Flynn. There was a small bump on the road." He apologized for the sudden movement.

"You're getting better. I don't think it would have taken much to take that one down though." the green one approached the canine, looking as the enemy vanished.

"...Only one more path to go." David pointed towards the only corridor they haven't checked, a bit on edge for what the half dead nuzleaf might imply.

"Yeah. Let's… get this over with." Vert started walking towards it, with David, still carrying Flynn, soon following.

They marched through the last corridor, the vegetation denser than ever, their creepy, dead leaves closing in on the trio, making it seem tighter and tighter.

Thankfully, they arrived at the room at last. It was very similar to the other ones in appearance, though this one was utterly bleak, the center being completely devoid of any life or vegetation, only allowing a few of the haunting trees that surrounded the area to still exist.

What made everyone smile and sigh in relief was the big stairs that were waiting in the middle of the room. Wordlessly, they all ran towards it, saved from the dungeon at long last.

...Or so they thought, Vert's amazing reflexes and instincts triggering, as he saw a big, sharp looking slash of air approaching them from behind. Knowing that could wipe out the two older males, Vert quickly jumped towards David, boding him and the pokémon on his lap to the ground, as the dangerous slash dissipated on the stairs.

"Well well. I knew you'd come here eventually…" A deep, intimidating voice taunted them.

"I thought I was going to leave this place with only the crybaby… But it seems I've hit the jackpot." The growly, male voice continued, when they all looked, the trio was shocked and utterly terrified when they identified their pursuer.

He was a bug that walked on two legs. green and with two wicked looking scythe like hands. Its wings buzzed a little on his bag, as if to flex and scare them further.

"I never expected to find you so easily. Your presence is like a beautiful beacon of light. I simply can't resist its call." he kept monologuing, as if to taunt them even further.

"T-The boogeymon!..." the togepi squeaked out.

"I-I don't understand…" The treecko tried to make him talk even further by being honest.

"I don't mean you, boy. That little shit…" the scyther pointed one of those sharp swords at him "...Is who I want."

David shivered and was paralyzed, the three of them standing up, the togepi on the ground, also frozen by fear.

"Surrender now, squirt. And I promise I'll leave the grass failure and the crybaby alive. Just shut your trap and come along." He threatened, with a serious expression.

"W-What do you kn-" the riolu, as if on cue, was cut off by the scyther "I know enough. I came here just to play around and test my limits in piece, maybe kidnap some weakling that showed promise…" he smirked "I never expected to find a treasure like yourself here, 'riolu'." he condescendingly spat out.

"And to finally meet you." he pointed at the treecko "Is actually quite a surprise. Didn't know you finally created the guts to enter a dungeon- or to actually get someone to like you." he sighed "Sadly, you have a terrible taste in friends." the mantis pokémon taunted.

Vert seemed to be trembling, completely unsure what to say or do, scared to take action, and not knowing what to think, having no plans and no courage to act out "I-I… I…"

"Wow, ya really are pathetic, Luka. Grow a spice, in Azelf's name." the fact that this pokemon knew his name only made Vert's pitiful, scared self seem twice as more distraught.

The riolu's innermost instincts told him to run, told him he had no chance against this predator, he was going to die!

...And yet, he knew that if he ran, the others would die in his place, or along with him. Both of these results were unacceptable.

So he had to do something. And he had no idea what- So he decided to do what he always did, and improvise "Hey!... Bug face!" the scyther looked unamusedly at the riolu, after that bad insult.

"Um… If you promise you won't touch my friends, I swear I'll… amuse you!" he gulped, praying that he'd bite this very poorly thought out bait.

"'Amuse me'? I'm not one of your kid friends. I do not play games." the scyther hissed at him, threateningly swiping his claws and getting one step closer to them.

"I don't mean like a stupid game- If you aren't interested in having fun, why did you come to this forest, huh? You seem far too strong for the pokémon that… inhabit here!" he argued, when the scyther cocked his head, David knew he had to press on "And I bet my life that you allowed Flynn to escape simply to chase and find him- While you wiped the floor with the Rust pokémon, and destroyed the environment with your powers!..." his face looked fierce and determined, sure of himself, but his heart was slamming against his chest, and the voices in his head screaming for him to turn tail and run, panic and fear almost breaking his facade.

"...He means 'Dust'." the treecko whispered, David looked at with a comic 'Not the time' expression.

The scyther smirked maniacally "I was told your kind are known for being intelligent sweet talkers…" he chuckled "... You are correct on your assumption. Though I don't see how that will save your three sorry asses."

"... Simple. You said it yourself, you don't need them. So why waste your time senselessly killin' 'em? Let's make it more fun!..." he smiled, while the scyther leered at him.

"...How about a 1 on 1 battle between you and me? If I win, you let us go. If I lose, you can do whatever you want with us, and we'll have no complains! What you say?" he gulped, while the bug type pondered.

"And why I just don't cut your little buddies' throats and knock ya out?" he counter argued, but luckily, the riolu was hoping for that answer.

"You are a thrillseeker. I sensed that earlier. That's the impression I get from you. And what fun would you have if you simply did it? Isn't more fun like this? If you'll just win anyway, what have you to lose?" the surprisingly diplomatic riolu tried.

The other two pokémon were completely shocked at the insane proposal, but they weren't prepared for another chuckle from the scary 'shape' "I like your style, squirt. I'll indulge you. If you can land a single painful blow on me, you win. If I knock you out, you lose. I'll fight with one arm." he put his left one on his back "Just so that this can last more than thirty seconds."

"R-Riolu, what in Giratina's cursed name are you-" the riolu picked up the little togepi, handing him to Vert "Don't worry, V! I got a plan."

Vert's eyes widened, as a somber expression filled his face "If you think I'm going to leave you alone with that psycho-"

The riolu shook his head, winking at him, and wagging his finger. The treecko let out a small gasp, as David patted Vert's shoulder, his other paw touching the bag "Flynn, good ol' Vert needs to talk to you.." the riolu winked at the little pokémon, who seemed confused, and at his dumbfounded partner, looking at the crazy riolu, who sent him a thumbs up, with his back turned, while going towards 'the arena'.

"_I think he understood the plan. Now… Let's pray I can hold this guy for enough time for it to matter…"_ he gulped, entering in a classic battle stance, his two paws closed into fists in front of his face.

"Don't ever think of running, you two. Else I'll cut you down where you stand." the scyther declared, yet again gazing at the duo, before pointing his single scythe at David "C'mon, hotshot. Do your worst"

David dashed before the scyther finished his sentence, going for a kick, that was easily blocked by the much, much bigger pokémon's leg. He tried to use this momentum to follow up with a punch, but before he could do that, he got slapped by the blunt part of his right forearm, throwing him at the ground, on his face.

"Sloppy. You don't know how to use your body. Your movements are like that of a hatchling's. Predictable and weak." the riolu gritted his teeth, scratching the ground, and getting up.

"I'm just getting started!" he bluffed, running again, and this time jumping high, going for a punch at the bug's throat.

Though again, his attempt was frustrated by a scythe-arm, that blocked him "No strategy. No strength. Pathetic." he spat, kicking the riolu in the gut, while he was mid aid, making him fall on his back, clutching his stomach.

"This is embarrassing. I'm not even using my moves on ya. If you keep boring me like this, I'll take out your friends." he threatened, while the riolu tried stalling for time, he knew that remaining on the ground could be lethal to him, and his friends. He tried to fix that by trying to get up, but ended up falling, coughing some blood on the floor, while clutching his stomach still, struggling to breathe for a few moments "Maybe they will give me 'thrill' I seek, hmm?"

"Y-You… Wouldn't…!" he finally got up, slowly and awkwardly. Staggering as he walked forward, to seem defiant, spitting some more blood, his eyes half closed "B-Bastard! I'll… I'll…" he growled.

The scyther smirked "A pokémon's true power comes from their heart, or so they say." He hummed, taunting the riolu by preeing his right scythe with the left one, before returning to his original pose, with one behind his back.

''As cliché and over the top as it may sound, the only way to truly unlock your potential…" the scyther demonstrated, by channeling a grey-ish energy on his single scythe "...Is to use the darkness within your heart! Anger, lust, selfishness… Pick your poison." he swiped his arm like a sword, the wind it generated completely obliterating the world around them, the razor wind finally revealing why the places looked so messed up, and who was making those powerful gusts. This one was aimed squarely at the fighter, absolutely devastating everything behind him.

When the wicked wind settled down, David was covered in cuts, still barely on his feet, wheezing from exhaustion and pain, blood dripping from each of his nasty cuts and from his muzzle, his left eye closed.

Though what surprised the enemy was the faint blue aura that covered him "Counter? Foolish. It doesn't work on-" the villain's mocking was interrupted by a jackal suddenly appearing in front of him, and with a blend of sheer speed and force, he unleashed a punch on the bug type's abdomen, with his paw opened, pushing him a good three feet from where he stood, with the force of the atack.

Even after that, the scyther seemed unaffected "Excellent. So you're not all bark. You know-" as he tried to monologue, the pokémon with blue aura blinked again, pushing his body to the limit, his muscles aching from the immense pressure, jumping again, going for a reckless, heavy strike, leaving his guard completely down.

The scyther chuckled, moving his body to easily block the predictable strike… Though he found that he couldn't move his arm, his face turning into one of surprise as his muscles seemed to refuse to answer him, looking in awe at his abdomen _"The first strike wasn't to damage me..." _the scyther realized, looking at a seed's remnants, still present in his green body.

"It was about time…" he growled, hitting the bigger pokémon square in the jaw, viciously turning his fist as it landed "...Someone shut your mouth!" he dramatically growled out, the impact mixed with the stun made the scyther fly backwards, managing to muster enough control to fall on his feet.

As the scyther opened his mouth to speak, the riolu interrupted him by screaming "**NOW!**", for a brief second, he thought they weren't ready, and he wasted their chance, but in the following second, he was thankfully proven wrong when a bunch of shiny rocks were fired at both the riolu and the scyther.

The impact of the out of nowhere diamond storm knocked the riolu to the ground, his aura dissipating, his second wind coming to an end. The rocks served to only worsen his already critical state, though thankfully, he didn't seem to be affected nearly as much as the attacks from the previous foe.

Speaking of him, the fallen former human was so very glad to hear the grunts of pain that the bug/flying type released, clearly not expecting an attack of this magnitude, from behind, while he was paralysed.

When the barrage of diamonds finally came to an end, he could see the scyther using his two arms to block, now with his back turned to the fallen riolu, his eyes burning with hatred as he gazed at the responsable for this.

The dust settled, revealing a exhausted, almost fainting togepi with his stubby arm stretched, his index finger still stuck pointing to the scyther's location, while the treecko assisted him from behind, his two green hands covering the togepi's, as if helping him focus, kneeled behind the smaller pokémon.

What made all tree of them gasp though, was the fact that not only was the scyther seemed to be fine, he was glowing with a dark-purple energy, similar to when David used counter, but much more intense, and… Darker. Stronger. Scarier.

"I'll admit. I was having a bit of fun with Riolu…" he growled, lowering his armored arms, revealing a single cut on his left cheek, and a bruise on his chest and shoulder "But I simply can't enjoy myself when someone cheats… I was gonna save this for last… But you have truly angered me, you little shits."

David could only whimper, his face on the ground, his only opened eye looking in horror as the scyther threateningly swiped the floor, and charged at the duo, scythes ready to decapitate the togepi. Vert intervened by jumping in front, without even thinking, arms outstretched to body block for Flynn.

"**V-VEEEERT**!" David shrieked, Vert closed his eyes, Flynn shed a single tear, the shape smirking condescendingly as the longest second in the world passed… And then…

* * *

...Silence. Vert opened his eyes to see shiny vines constricting the Bug pokémon's wicked scythes. David could only gasp in relief, looking at their savior.

"That's enough. No more fighting." A calm, quiet, yet imposing voice commanded, it belonged to a scarecrow-like being, humanoid in shape, also resembling a cactus. His yellow eyes shined in the darkness, tightening his grip around the shape, as it tried to be let go and finish the job.

"Enough of your sadistic games, Bora." the fierce cacturne declared, wrapping one vine around his neck, choking him…

But as the dark energy got stronger, the scyther managed to free himself, jumping backwards in breakneck speed, wiping the blood from his cheek "You, around here? How unlucky of me. I know better than to fight with you without preparation."

He send a cocky grin towards the kids "I'll continue this little thing of ours next time. For now, I have better things to do…" he dodged a powerful dark pulse from the Cacturne, laughing, and quickly leaving through the stairs.

Vert sighed, kneeling and falling unconscious, softly being grabbed by the Grass/Dark type, then carried by him "Are you injured, little one?" He gently asked the togepi, who shook his head.

"I'm just… tired, mister… I wanna… go sleep on mommy's back…" he yawned, wiping some of his dry tears, hiding his wounds.

"That is a request we shall soon fulfill. Please, allow me." he picked up the togepi with one of his arms, leaving him on his 'hat', to which Flynn quickly used as a hug pillow, snoring cutely.

"And you…" he walked towards the downed riolu, who was already passed out, sleeping soundly amidst the wrecked room, his wounds still severe, but nothing that the doc can't fix.

The cacturne couldn't help but laugh a bit, staring at the mess they made _"Ah, how it brings me back…" _he talked inside his head, grabbing the canine and lifting him on his other shoulder.

"_These two have potential. Lots of it. Since they entered the dungeon, they have shown great skill." _he slowly begun walking towards the exit, carrying the tree fainted/sleeping pokémon _"Yes. One of them has the brains and the organization, other has the heart and the determination. The lines do overlap sometimes, naturally." _He thought back at how the treecko wordlessly threw himself in front of the fatal attack that was aimed at the togepi, and to when the Riolu planed his every step against the dangerous Bora.

"_Oh Luka, If only your mother saw your actions now…" _the cacturne kept monologuing, stepping on each step of the stairs in a snail's pace _"If I offer, I'm sure he'll accept. This one though…" _He gazed at the riolu _"I am unsure. Though he seems to be fond of Luka_. _Only time will tell."_

He hear the faintest sound of growing, noticing it came from the treecko's belly _"Someone has eaten poorly. Well well. To the guild we go." _he sighed, as if somewhat reluctant of that decision.

He finally crossed the 'portal', by going up the stairs, ending up on the opposite side of where he entered together with the duo _"Bora knows it. It's only a matter of time until the rest of them come after the boy…"_

He remembered the fierce, mostly one sided battle that David had against Bora, focusing on the sudden burst of energy that helped him stall time enough for Vert and Flynn charge the devastating attack _"This Riolu… He is the one that shall change everything. His actions and words proved to me who he was. United by fate with this lonely Treecko… Who shall be with him through thick and thin. It is my duty to mentor them. I hoped to never return, but It's for the greater good… time to go back to my home. Time to return to Haxorus'... with his new recruits." _ the silent cacturne slowly walked down the path, thinking to himself. This story was just beginning.

* * *

"Yes, I did my part. I gave them the win, and pushed them to their limits. If they didn't like one another before, they most likely do now. The cacturne came sooner than expected, so I couldn't bring you the child."

"**No matter, my wind. The objective of this mission was to forge a bond between these two, so that fate may remain constant. If you are certain you did that, then your mission was a success."**

"One more thing… The cacturne took them in. Ya think they'll join the guild?"

"**It is the treecko's dream, is it not? I am certain they will. Especially at how… Idealistic and Strange the scarecrow pokémon is. He will enlist them, train them, nurture them, I am certain…"**

"**...And all of that, is another gigantic win for us."**

* * *

A/N: This chapter was far longer than what I planned! I had to cut a lot of stuff, just so it wouldn't be a chore to read. I hope the end result was satisfying. I also tried to make the dialogue a bit on the campy side of things, dunno if I succeeded. Again, I would highly appreciate reviews- If only to tell me if I'm doing a good or bad job! I could also answer any questions you might have- Though trust me, I plan on exploring more of the world in the upcoming chapters. Until next time!


	3. Bond

**Episode 3: Bond**

He was again at that blasted forest, the ominous battleground composed of cut, dead trees, slashes on the ground, and a complete wasteland of a environment.

He was yet again on the ground, having just received the beating of his life, courtesy of the enemy that stood in front of him. He was bruised, beaten and completely spent, his master plan seeming to succeed for a moment.

But when the dust settled, it was only him that was on the ground, the bug monster was not only on his feet, completely fine (if very lightly bruised), but also **pissed**. The intense dark purple-ish aura around him making the former human's skin crawl.

"I'll admit. I was having a bit of fun with Riolu…" the intimidating shape spat out, David's entire being shaken by fear by the tone of his voice alone "...But I simply can't enjoy myself when someone cheats..." That was his fault. This plan was stupid- everyone is doomed, and it was his fault.

"… I was gonna save this for last…" _Dammit, dammit dammit!_ "But you have truly angered me, you little shits." The riolu pitifully tried to get up, or crawl his way towards his friends, anything to help fix this terrible situation he created. But it was no use, his body was completely drained of the energy he so desperately needed.

David could only look in horror as the boogeyman swiped the floor, and lunged at his two teammates. Wicked scythes ready to end them here and there, time almost slowly down to a halt…

And even as David opened his mouth to shriek in despair, even as Vert threw himself in front of the attack, and even as Flynn shed a last tear, the silence that issued was all the same…

When time came back to normal, he could only see the feet of the two pokémon he sentenced to this grizzly fate. The ground scarlet red, giving color to the otherwise grey and uncolored surroundings. Blood also staining the scyther's arms, shining in the darkness of the forest.

"Guess that's game over." the shape chuckled, spilling the blood of his friends like it was mud on an expensive suit.

The riolu couldn't take it anymore. His eyes watering, his tears flowing, and one last final scream of absolute sadness, anger and guilt escaped him, so loud that it hurt his throat, his heart beating faster than a drum…

* * *

**-?-**

The blue pokémon jumped out of his little nest bed, panting and huffing in fear, his heartbeat never slowing down, hurting his chest a bit.

He looked around frantically, arms up to defend himself, searching for Vert and Flynn desperately. Though only seeing a blue eyed, sheep-like pokémon looking at him.

This pokémon was mostly pink, walked on two feet, and had a weird, curled white maine, that looked very soft to the touch. Its conical ears with black stripes being similar to its tail, that had similar stripes, and a blue orb. The Flaaffy had a blue armband, with a white heart in the middle, she apparently was reading something, now completely still looking at the panic attack the emanation pokémon just had.

"Where's Vert!? Flynn!? Are they-!?" the riolu was cut off by a calm, cheerful female voice.

"Treecko and Togepi are ok, Riolu. They woke up before you did. You are at Haxorus' guild medical ward, you're safe" that actually made David's heart rate return to a somewhat normal pace, as he took deep breaths, sighing in relief.

"I'm so glad… I thought they… That I…" he sniffed, noticing a small tear on his left eye, wiping it before anyone could notice. He was far too late.

"Don't worry! I heard what happened from Sir Cacturne! You were really brave for going after that child without any dungeon experience. The two of them were so happy, it made my heart flutter!" she happily said, turning to look straight at him "Your friend was worried sick about you, y'know? He even bought some berries and a flower. " She tried to comfort him, smiling while carrying the paper she was previously analysing, but paying attention to the injured pokémon. Pointing to a small, nightstand-like table, that similarly to the one on Vert's house, seemed awfully similar to just a tree trunk.

On top of it, he saw a bright red flower, like one of those he was admiring when he first woke up. With it, two green berries on a plate, behind them, two blue ones.

The riolu sniffed once more, looking down sadly at his bandaged paws, clutching them into fists "I… Almost let them die…" he admitted to the female.

She tilted her head in confusion, approaching and carefully patting his back, being sure to not hurt him "That wasn't what I heard. Cacturne said you were quite smart." the riolu confusedly looked at her as she continued "By distracting the enemy while your teammates recovered and charged an attack, you essentially gave your team a fighting chance."

He sighed "Sure but… It didn't work. I gambled, and I lost. And others almost died as a result…" he gloomly replied.

"You tried. That's what counts. I think that what you did was selfless and heroic!" she smiled once more, making the riolu bashfully blush.

"Your wounds were quite severe, you know! So many cuts and bruises-" David looked at his body, now noticing he was covered in bandages from head to toe, protecting his previous injuries "- Thankfully, your anatomy was very cooperative! Not that many fighting type pokémon on this continent, so it's always fascinating to see one of you guys in action!"

The former human was unsure how to answer that, still feeling a bit dazed from the rude awakening "Um… No problem?" he tried, awkwardly.

"That reminds me! You can call me Flaaffy, Riolu! I'm a recruit here, but my secondary function is as a nurse here at the guild's healing center. I adore taking care of those in need." she grabbed one of the berries that were laying on the tree-table, giving it to him, her smile ever present "The guild's physician, doctor Leavanny, was the one who treated you. He's the reason why you aren't feeling all sore!"

Now that he paid closer attention to his bandages, he noticed that they were all green and… surprisingly comfortable. As if made from the most delicate of leaves, stitched together by… Silk? "He weaves the bandages himself. He's pretty good at it, too!" She explains, he bites on the green berry, widening his eyes, feeling his fur stand up, and his tail wag slightly and slowly _"Yummy!"_ He thought, as he swallowed. It tasted similar to the juice Vert made him.

"I see… I'm very thankful, miss. But could I see my friend?... Please?" He asked, in a mixture of cuteness and sadness. The female seemed to empathize with him. The riolu taking another bite as he waited for her response.

"Of course!... Though I believe mister Cacturne would like to have a word with you. You were out for two days, after all!" The flaaffy casually said, making the riolu comically spit out the contents in his mouth.

"Two days!? That's even more than last time!" he, clearly in shock, spoke loudly _"I wonder if this will become a trend…" _waking up after a rough time on a nest, with a friendly stranger caring for you could get repetitive rather quickly.

"What time is it!? What year are we in?" loudly he continued, while internally, the former human gulped _"Please be normal, please be normal, please be normal…" _

The flaaffy looked picked her tiny, white badge, clicking on a button, then moving the center piece like a dial, a small projection appearing in front of her "It's 14:35, or 2:35 PM, whichever one you prefer, from the fourth month of 1346!" She said, almost as if amusing a joke "So yeah. You didn't go into a coma or anything! Same year and same month from the last time you were awake!" She giggled a bit, clearly trying to lift his spirits.

"_I mean, at least the hour system is like home. And the month/year doesn't seem too hard to get used to…"_ The riolu pondered, looking down _"Home…"_

"Erm. I'm sorry, I guess I talked more than I should. Please, don't be sad!" The flaaffy sadly said, David just noticed he ignored her, and started frowning out of nowhere.

He shook his paws in front of him "No, no! You didn't say nothing wrong at all! I'm just… reflecting, that's it!" he didn't really lie, but didn't tell the whole truth either.

"I see… I'll go call Mister Cacturne, I've held you long enough…" She professionally bowed, turning around before leaving, her two ears a bit down, and the blue orb on her tail flashing lights chaotically.

The riolu slapped himself in the forehead _"Stupid, stupid! Can't you spend at least five minutes without messing up!?" _he slapped his furred self two more times, before sighing, and finally deciding to look and observe his environment.

He was in a tent like structure- a very BIG tent like structure. The place seemed like a medical ward, with various 'beds', or 'nests', made of straw, of various sizes. He seemed to be among the shorter ones.

On each side of the beds, there was a 'nightstand' like his. Most other beds seemed empty, for now. The sun light was entering from each of the two entrances, assuming that he was looking north, then they were each on the west and east. He could also hear the sound of flags waving, the wind always keeping him refreshed, despite the warmth of the area. The ground beneath was… well, natural ground. It seemed like someone cut down all the grass and left only the soil- but the small green sprinkled here and there proved the stubbornness of life.

The riolu couldn't help but look down once more, a picture flashing through his mind, of the short togepi hugging and crying to his bird-like mother, underneath her warm, maternal wings. Thinking to himself, did he have a mother? If he was to accept that vision/dream he had the other day, the one he discovered his name from, then the answer was ye.

Though answering this question did not bring closure- quite the opposite, the result were more and more questions popping up inside his head: did she miss him? was she in this world as well? was she dead? was he dead? was this all even real? was the vision real, or just his mind creating false memories if only to allow him some clarity? why was he here? was he kidnapped to this world? was he insane?

The more he questioned, the more his head hurt. He punched himself in the forehead once, enough to snap back from the spiral of despair. The answer was clear: he didn't know. He didn't know if he had a family, he didn't know where he came from- where his house was, how his mother was- and yet he remembered a bunch of useless trivia from his world- like, like-

"_Like how it's 1346, which should be the middle ages, and yet these beings are a mix of primitive and contemporary in technology. It's mind boggling! Hell, they have weird devices that can accurately show time- and yet they sleep on nests! And their hospital is a big-ass tent!"_ his little mental rant, thankfully, distracting him from his existential dread _"And for some reason their bandages can be leaves. Or wool, as Vert showed me."_

He forgot the world around him, blissfully overthinking inside his mind _"To quote the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland: 'I am under no obligation to make sense to you'. Different world, different rules, if 'mystery dungeons' are anything to go by. Even the people here- these 'pokémon'- are completely different! Their very being is magical- something straight out of Fantastica! I suppose I should keep my mind open…"_

His thoughts suddenly turned a bit more dark, frowning, one paw where his 'chin' would be, in a classic contemplative pose _"I wonder… If this world is fantasy… If this is not __my__ reality, then why should I care? If I'm in a dream, shouldn't I be completely and utterly free to do as I please…?" _he bit the lum berry once more, chomping it down.

He then turned his head to the other side, as if assuming the position of both the defender and the prosecutor on the same trial _"No. Even if this is fantasy, if this is not __real__ to __me__, even if this is all a __dream__…" _His mind had quick flashbacks, all silent, as if seeing photos on an old album, first was of the warm smiles and sincere laugher he and Vert shared on his house, then he saw the tears of a desperate mother begging strangers to save her son, as she limped in pain, and lastly, he remembered the single tear Flynn shed, seeing death itself try to snatch him away at such a young age, with a stranger throwing himself to spare him of that fate.

"_Even if this is not my world, even if it is false to me… It isn't for __them__. And that's more than enough reason for me to respect and preserve it."_ he nodded, sure of his decision, and of the logical arguments that lead to it. Gulping down the last bits of the green berry, tossing it to the side nonchalantly.

… He couldn't help but loudly yelp in surprise, his tail and ears moving up in an instinctive canine alarmed gesture, when he heard the distinctive sound of something other than the floor being hit by the leftovers "A-AAAH!-"

A big, intimidating green scarecrow was leering at him, with the rest of his former meal on his chest, stuck on one of his dark green spikes. The riolu was stunned for a few seconds, until the cacturne took the initiative, his grin never leaving his face "... I quite like the color. You are a pokémon of great taste, but I'll have to deny this present." he then picked the berry and handed to the short pokémon behind him.

The flaaffy apparently had led him here, she confusedly accepted the eaten fruit she was given "Please, flaaffy, properly throw this away. Leave us alone for a moment." he calmly and gently ordered, to which the nurse immediately turned around to do.

David's heart rate was back to 'not panicking' status. And with his mind free to analyze properly what was happening, he recognized the big pokémon in front of him "...You're that guy that saved us!"

The green pokémon cocked his head "Yeah. And you're that riolu I saved!" the blue jackal groaned a little _"Yeah, I walked right into that one, I guess."_

"...For how long have you been standing there…?" David asked a little bashfully, remembering his previously aloof state.

"Oh, not that long. It would be very rude for me to interrupt you while you thought so intensely about something. May I ask what it was?" he casually asked, even the usually easy going riolu was a bit taken back, but amused him regardless.

"I was… Thinking about… Hours…" - Not a lie - "...And family…" - Also not a lie - "...And reality." - He didn't lie at all. Though he might have failed on not looking weird.

Thankfully, this pokémon was even weirder "Interesting! Quite diverse topics were clouding your mind. I much prefer to vocalize such thoughts, when alone." the riolu nodded slowly "Of course, I refrain to do so near others, for I have learned that I actually might scare my fellow pokémon when another breaks my solitude, and sees me mumbling my deepest thoughts in a dark corner."

Yet again the riolu slowly nods, with a very weirded out expression "Yeah… I can see that!... But hey, you can still creepily mumble in private!" he chuckled a bit, not expecting the intimidating hero to be this quirky, though he seemed more at ease now "...Thanks for the save, by the way. Really, I mean it… I almost caused me and my partners harm." He suddenly shifted from playful to serious, looking the grass/dark type in the eye.

"Of course. I merely did my job and duty as a veteran explorer, really. No need to thank me." the humble grass type declared "Though I must say that I commend you for taking action, and rushing to help that poor boy. His mother took a while to arrive at the guild- who knows what could have happened had you not intervened? Especially with that villain in the dungeon with him."

The little canine blushed a bit "Um… Thanks… I just- I just can't stand around and do nothing when someone is in need. It feels… Wrong." he bashfully admitted "Still… I almost messed up, and caused everyone to pay the price…"

"...Your partner, 'Vert' the treecko, as he introduced himself to me, seems to have not talked to you yet, hmm?" the cacturne circled the little nest the riolu was on, gazing at the flower and the berries laying at his side.

"Oh. No, he hasn't. I actually wanted to talk to him…" _Since I almost dragged him to his death. And because he is literally the one I am most comfortable around._

"I see. He seemed to be quite eager to chat with you too, when you awoke. His wounds were far less serious than yours-" he pointed at the flower and berries he was gazing at "-and after seeing how you were, he ran to his house. Came back with these." the scarecrow chuckled a bit.

"Young, innocent friendship like this is heartwarming to see. Especially with someone lonely like Lu- Vert." the cacturne thought out loud freely "He was so worried, that he insisted with Leavanny to sleep and wait near your bed, you know? Since you two are not related, nor in a team, the doctor couldn't allow." he chuckled out some more, grabbing one of the oran berries and handing it to the riolu, who accepted it, red eyes following the explorer, paying attention to what was being told by the cacturne.

"After not being allowed to stay with you, he dashed towards his home- Came back with these. Said they were your favorites." the cactus pokémon could only laugh again, when he saw David eagerly munching the fruit in his paw "Seems he was right."

The riolu nodded, almost finishing the berry just like that- he couldn't help it, the lum berry had awakened his dormant appetite! And they were all delicious to the sensitive tongue he now had.

"By the by, you may call me Cacturne. No need for formalities or anything." the cacturne bowed slightly.

"Wmm Dwvud!" he gulped down the berry he was chewing, repeating the sentence more coherently "I'm David! Um… Nice to meet you!" he extended his paw, offering a handshake.

The grin on Cacturne's face somehow got even bigger, as he shook it immediately "The pleasure is all mine, David."

Flaaffy then returned with a small bottle, filled with some sort of colorful liquid, stopping dead on her tracks, looking at the duo with a very confused expression.

After the bigger pokémon let go of the smaller one's paw, he addressed the pink sheep "Flaaffy, could you please remove David's bandages? He doesn't seem to need them any longer."

Flaaffy nodded, approaching the duo, handing the riolu the bottle "This should help with your recovery. And it's good for your health!" she sounded like someone's grandmother when she said that.

The nurse begun dutifully working on removing the leafy wrappings, the riolu slightly discomforted by the closeness of it "Um… Is Vert still hanging around here?"

"Treecko left the guild in a rush after he was told he couldn't stay. He didn't argue much. After leaving you these presents, he went home." Flaaffy answered as she kept working on gently removing the bandages.

"Indeed. I could lead you towards his household, it's a bit isolated from the rest of town. On the woods that surround it, to be precise." Cacturne offered "You two sound like you need to talk…" he grinned once more.

The riolu nodded "I would like that. Thanks mister Cacturne!" the older explorer only chuckled "Again, no need for formalities, my boy. As soon as Flaaffy is done, I can show you around town."

David smiled and nodded "That would be nice!... I haven't really seen Flynn and his mother, are they ok?" he then began gulping down the juice, the taste being a bit overwhelming, but still pleasant to drink.

"Oh, very much so! They talked with your partner earlier- and were staying at the guild's guest rooms, until they both healed fully. They said they'd love to thank you properly if given the opportunity, and should be somewhere in Solaris." and before the riolu could inquire more, the sheep finishes removing those leaves from his previously wounded body.

"All healed up now! And not even a single scar!" Flaaffy happily announced "I would suggest a diet filled with healing berries, like oran, cheri or pecha to avoid complications. If you feel any nausea, pain or dizziness, feel free to come back here. Doctor Leavanny, the other helpers and me are all willing to help!"

The riolu got up from the nest, stretching his arms and legs, cracking his neck, both left and right, feeling energized and motivated "Thanks, nurse! I mean it!" he grinned at her, jumping out of the bed.

"Of course, David. I shall be more than glad to help you with whatever else you need!" the sheep replied warmly, bowing in a professional manner.

Cacturne chuckled, touching each of the shorter pokémon's backs "Somehow, I feel like you'll see each other a lot…" both of them confusedly looked at each other, while the strange dark type laughed playfully.

"Well then. Shall we go to Solaris, David?" he quickly proposed, to avoid questioning, always smiling.

"Um. Sure, Mi- Cacturne. Let's go!" the young male eagerly consented, now at the scarecrow's side.

After waving goodbye to the kindly nurse, the duo left the 'tent'. David having to cover his eyes, unadjusted to the harsh sunlight that assaulted them. The pleasant and somewhat strong breeze moving his blue and black fur.

When his scarlet eyes adapted to the weather, he could properly see the scenery around him. Behind him, the very large tent that covered the medical ward was present, with ropes tied to stakes on the ground, keeping it firmly in place. On top of the tent, there was a red flag, with a white heart in the middle waving proudly,

The ground underneath them, outside of the healing center, was grassy, though not nearly enough to be uncomfortable, with the green on the ground shining beautifully under the sun, similar to the forest where Vert's house was located, though unlike that place, there were no trees nearby, everything being in open air.

From where he stood, the riolu could see a castle like structure up ahead, stony and sturdy looking, the building seeming surprisingly well kept and tidy. Its entrance was modeled after some kind of intimidating green and black dragon, with axe-like things as tusks. Pillars carried the big, draconic looking pole tent, blocking the sunlight on the path to the castle's entrance, creating a nice shade outside.

The building itself was composed of four towers, each with a flag on top, all surrounding each side of a square shaped stony estade, connected by walls. Though not nearly as big as David remembered human castles to be (though this place still looked gigantic to him), nor they seemed to have the same objective of a feudal lord's.

"Breathtaking, is it not? The guild never fails to amaze me. Just wait until you see the inside." the grass type comments, when he sees the riolu eyeing it so attentively, walking slowly with him towards the city, where the entrance of the castle pointed towards.

"Yeah… It's all so beautiful. Not just the guild but…" he returns to gaze towards the natural area they were. Again, he did not need his memories to know he had not seen something like this in his world.

The cacturne stops, pointing backwards, towards some tree stumps in the distance, right behind the building, together with what seemed to be (to the former human) those archery targets, with straw behind the big target on front "Those are the training grounds. Where teams go to test their abilities, train their synergy and sometimes to battle against one another."

"When a tournament or special field test is held, the training grounds is usually where it happens, since no fighting or dueling is permitted inside the castle. If you would like to watch, you can use those." he points at three large (wooden) grandstands that surround the training area "We usually allow the townsfolk to watch freely. They most often come in case a large event is taking place."

"Cool… So explorers, I think they are called, do more than just adventure in dungeons!" David excitedly says, as if answering a question.

"Ohoho, yes! So much more! The nurse that attended you, for example..." the riolu immediately remembered the flaaffy he met a few moments ago "...Is actually one of our recruits! All of them are expected to serve a 'part time job' of sorts, with certain hours per week. There are cooks, night watchers, library helpers, nurses- the list goes on!" the cacturne decides to continue their walk, as they chat.

"I see! And the apprentice chooses what they wanna be?"

"Certainly! All areas require helpers. And the guild trusts each individual to know where they would be most comfortable working at. The officials, the ones that command and supervise the teams of explorers, are also the ones who coordinate the extra jobs. So technically, you choose one of them to work under." the cacturne explained further.

"I see why Vert was talking so highly of this lifestyle! It sounds like a lotta work, but fun!" David commented, stealing another wide smile from the scarecrow.

The riolu then stopped their walk momentarily, pointing at a blue tent, with a white flag, with a golden star on the middle of it, guarded by a canine that dutifully gazed at the perimeter "What's that?"

"That's the police's tent. The sheriff usually sends one of his pokémon to stay close to the guild, in case that an outlaw is captured. Which happens a lot. They are here to quicken the legal procedures." the green scarecrow waved at the tent's guard "Officer Manectric."

The blue and yellow furred quadruped, wearing a golden star badge, saluted with one of his paws "Veteran Cacturne." he courteously and respectfully replied, in a tough, stoic voice.

"So you guys go after criminals too? That's amazing! What do you people don't do?" David giggled, also waving at the officer, that politely returned the gesture, the smiling cacturne resuming their walk.

They passed by another tent, right beside the police's, also very close to the main entrance to the castle, right at its side "That's the merchant's place. We offer travelling salesmon our hospitality, they offer their goods and services to both the guild, and our teams."

The riolu closed his mouth, since the scarecrow correctly predicted what the inquisitive jackal was about to ask.

After going past the previous tent, they could see the main entrance, and the giant haxorus 'umbrella' that covered it from the sun. The main door was a large, tough-looking wooden double door, that seemed to protected by a portcullis, which was currently raised, to better allow passage. A single, small blue penguin guarded the door, its flippers crossed, wearing a green scarf and the classic explorer's badge on top of it, the same one David saw the tirtouga using on Marble cave.

"Usually, a team is composed of three to four pokémon, though solo and duo teams are also possible. Same thing with a entire band of explorers." the cacturne pointed to the penguin "Usually, when the mission allows it, only two of the three or four go exploring, while one or two stay behind to catch up and do their side job. That one, piplup, works as a guard, enforcing the guild's policies and warning if any suspicious or dangerous pokémon approach. He might also aid on night watch, when able."

When the penguin noticed the higher-up staring, he quickly uncrossed his flippers, straightened his posture, and assumed a more professional looking pose. One you'd expect seeing on a royal guard. Using his right flipper to salute the cacturne from a distance.

The cacturne waved casually at the penguin, dismissing him in a not very professional way. The piplup kept that strict pose, trying to not seem like he was nervously eyeing the two "The pokémon currently working for the guild are quite the characters. A shame we can't recruit all the candidates."

"Oh? So not everyone is allowed to join the guild?" the duo kept staring at the structure, chatting casually.

"Not as apprentices. There is usually a test, and the guildmaster himself must, in the end, approve the newcomers. That, and the famously harsh training methods of the guild keep most recruits away. Haxorus likes it, he prefers to train those whom he recognizes as worthy. He is very strict, but quite caring. Deep, deep down." Cacturne chuckles, the piplup sweating bullets from a distance, thinking he was being evaluated or something.

"That's rough! Call me crazy, but I don't feel intimidated by all of this at all. I think it sounds quite fun!" David laughed a bit sheepishly "I dunno… I might be crazy! Hahaha..."

That grin appeared once more on the cacturne "Curiosity is a virtue. And you, have it to spare. That much is certain…"

He sighed, turning around "Come, we must go to Solaris. Your friend must want to see you, I can give you a tour of the guild later."

The riolu's ears and tail fell, as did his head, in a disappointed gesture, but he nodded "Awww… But yeah, I gotta talk to Vert." David followed after the older male. The piplup sighed in relief, breaking that discomfortable pose.

When the duo turned their backs to the guild and moved forward towards Solaris, the riolu finally noticed they were on top of a hill, with some large stairs and a rock path leading them to what seemed to be the city.

David looked at a bunch of colorful wooden structures, like a village in a fairy tale. The town had many little houses, with their roof always with a unique color, their walls usually equally as intricate. Maybe they were modeled after their inhabitants?

The riolu could also see that the symbol of what seemed to be a sun was painted here and there on the town's structures. Some of the buildings looking like markets, with goods on display, and a line of pokémon. The many different colors all blended beautifully with each other, and the small grass on the ground, the forest around the town making it truly seem like something straight out of a medieval fantasy… But still different enough to be unique to this strangely fascinating pokémon world.

"Solaris, the city that belongs to the sun. Named after the brightness of its inhabitants, the very houses they live in, and the ever strong sunlight." Cacturne presented to the amazed David.

"So pretty!..." was all the smiling canine could say, red eyes wide, his tail waggin a bit, unawaredly to him.

"C'mon. I'll show you some of it, like the residential area and the market. It's on the way to the outskirts." the dark type begun walking down the stairs, going down the hill.

David still looked fascinated at the town, stealing one last look at the guild castle behind him, before going down and following his guide.

* * *

**-Sunray Forest-**

**-Vert's House-**

A lone treecko sat on his bedroom, focused on reading a book, sitting on top of a tree trunk he used as a chair, at his side, a enormous pile of other books could be seen, studying every single one of them, gathering every little detail, every unrelated story, every strange legend, every piece of information he could find on this particular topic.

Yawning and rubbing his forehead a bit, eyes closed as he settled the book down _"I'm sure of it now. It's simply far too much coincidence to be true…"_

He opened his reptilian eyes, trying to ease his racing mind, thinking back on when he met the riolu, hitting the hurt canine in the head, then nursing him back to health.

"_He is far too unaware, and has forgotten things that are far too basic, and specific, to be any sort of amnesia I know."_ his mind traced back at the strange gesture the riolu made, wrapping his paw around the treecko's arm _"He acts weird too…"_

Vert sighs, once more trying to relax his aching head _"... I must face my fear. He…"_ the treecko thinks back on the argument they had on how to handle miss togekiss's problem.

'_What's the point of thinking what could go wrong? If we don't take action, things __**will**__ go wrong!'_

"_... He is the perfect partner. Brave, bold, charismatic, good hearted…"_ The treeckofelt his hand trembling, his heart racing, nervousness taking control of him.

"_I promised I would only join the guild when I had the power and the determination to create my own team- my own legacy…"_ Vert shivers a bit more _"... But I'm so worthless I couldn't even make a single acquaintance without the fear that they might judge me, or look down upon me…"_

He hissed a bit at himself _"I was so scared one of them would recognize me, ridicule me or look down upon me that I… Avoided them, to put it lightly. I am truly worthy of pity…"_ he remembered the torchic he was rude to, the other day, looking down in shame.

But then, Vert remembered once more the canine's cheeky, innocent smile, and his upbeat attitude, even when both of them entered a nightmarish hell together _"Yet, despite my crippling fear of interacting, I feel… warm, when close to that Riolu. I am not afraid, I don't have to formulate what to say- things just come. "_

For the first time in a long while, the treecko smiled when alone, as he remembered the crazy adventure the two had _"I… felt happy. Yes, that's the word. I felt happy around that Riolu… And when he dragged me into that bizarre exploration- When he made me create the courage to take action… I felt alive."_

The treecko's hand stopped shaking for a moment, while he quietly contemplated, looking at the table, where two colorful looplets stood, one mostly blue, with a bit of red, the other green, with some golden details. The blue one on top of a neatly folded and cleaned red scarf, that he had forgotten to hand back to his guest.

"_I couldn't ask him the other day… nor give him his scarf back…"_ Vert sighed _"Even the looplet is telling me I should do it- and yet, I keep questioning if it's a good idea…"_

He sighed, calming down again. Looking at a closed letter, the envelope being held close by a red wax seal, sitting untouched near the looplets _"My dreams are within my reach… And it's thanks to him…" _Vert got up, going towards the table, grabbing the letter with utmost care, as if it was the most valuable and fragile thing in the world.

"_Maybe… Just maybe… This could be the chance."_ He dreamed with his eyes open _"The chance… to finally it… prove it to myself…"_ his hands begun shaking once more, his heart accelerating as well.

"_...And to her."_

* * *

**-Solaris Town-**

Many pokémon, big and small, quadruped and biped, from feline to insectoid, were all walking around the streets of the humble town, some clearly working, carrying weights or materials. Some were with their family, he could see a black quadruped hellhound, with three pups happily running around her. This houndoom mother seemed to be getting back from work, and watchfully taking her children to walk around with her.

The riolu only now realized how big the things were, compared to his relatively small size. Even the 'average' house was simply massive to his size- thankfully most pokémon his age were similarly sized, or so Cacturne said.

After briefly looking around the houses on the residential area, they were at last at the market. This place was characterized by many 'stores' organized in big rows, one to the left, other to the right. The shops each had a pokémon-like appearance, maybe to help differentiate the many shops from one another.

At this hour, many pokémon could be found here, some civilians were buying their groceries, others seemed to be ordering things, and there were even a few who were hanging out with their friends around this place.

"Welcome to the market. The place where you come when you need to buy things. You can pretty much find any service here- from artisans to food vendors. Explorers usually go to the Kecleon shop-" he points at the two chameleons managing their shop "-To buy items, such as specific seeds or orbs."

"Cool! This town is bursting with pokémon too- It's very lively!" David looked around him, examining every single species he saw, each more strange than the last. From a short, humanoid pokémon with a pair of large black jaws emerging from the back of its head, to a sweet looking blue bird, with cloud-like wings.

"Solaris is not particularly big- the town has expanded mostly thanks to the guild's influence. This little settlement has history, but if you are impressed with it, just wait until you see Evertale or Watergate." the cacturne chuckles as they pass by the crowd.

David had found that he had to learn how to control his tail, for he had smacked at least four poor pokémon with it, receiving awkward looks, the jackal always apologizing immensely. Now, he had to walk with his tail grabbed by his right paw, generating a weird, very alien discomfort on the canine.

"...You'll get sore if you keep holding it like this, you know." Cacturne amusedly commented.

"I'd rather get sore than have to come up with an excuse as to why I whipped someone in the face with this thing!" he hastily replied, the duo walking towards the forest outside of town, down the path of the market.

* * *

**-Solaris Outskirts-**

**-Sunray Forest-**

This forest was as pretty as ever, the sunrays painting a serene picture, worthy as an artist's painting. The many colors of the plants mixed with the endless green that covered the ground and the skies truly amazing the fighting type, who simply couldn't stop staring, as they went down the path to where Cacturne said Vert's house was located.

David was rubbing his tail, with a frown on his muzzle, walking bit more slowly "I told you…" the taller pokémon pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah. I wanna say that it was worth it, but I honestly can't." he groaned a bit, letting go of his sore tail, doing his best to ignore the aching.

Both of them remained silent for a few more moments, spotting a small group heading their way, coming from where they were going towards. David noticed the colorful scarves the trio wore, each wearing a purple scarf, with the explorer's badge proudly on display.

One of them was a bipedal grey reptilian, with scales that made it seem like it was wearing armor, with some of its yellow scales shining under the sunlight, specially the one on its forehead. David could say this one was beautiful, but very intimidating.

The other was a small, green bipedal, that seemed much like a walking plant. It had two roses as its hands, a red one as its right and a blue one as its left. This pokémon's body and both the scarf and the badge it wore made it seem like an aristocrat.

Though the one in the middle was by far the most regal looking, a humanoid with green hair, red eyes, and two 'horns' on its head. This pokémon looked a lot like a ballerina, though its face was cold and serious, and even though it seemed feminine and cute, it had an 'aura' of leadership.

Cacturne waved casually at the trio "Kirlia, Hakamo-o, Roselia! How nice to see you around here." he pleasantly chatted.

The dragon and the fairy both saluted their superior, while the grass type smiled and waved back at him, earning a scold from her teammates.

"Veteran Cacturne. It is an honor to cross paths with you." the kirlia surprised David a bit with his calm, stern masculine voice. He seemed to be young like him, though.

"What're you guys up to? Heard from your father that you were tangled on a tough expedition." the scarecrow continued the conversation, David only stared at the trio, who seemed to mostly ignore his presence.

"We are returning from the city of Evertale, sir. We were tasked with investigating a possible new dungeon that could potentially wreak havoc on a trade route." the kirlia reported, picking up a map and some notes "We have officially proven its existence, and acquired the necessary information to file and formally recognize it as such." he professionally concluded.

"I see! Wonderful work, I'm sure both your dad and the guildmaster himself will be proud!" now that David could look at them more closely, he could see that they seemed exhausted, from mauled petals on the roselia, seeing also many cuts and bruises on Hakamo-o's scales and some stray, not so recent flesh wounds on that Kirlia.

The trio respectfully bowed in gratitude, the scarecrow surprising David by patting him in the back "This here is Riolu. He has shown great courage in rescuing a child from a dungeon. Say hi!"

Suddenly, all eyes were upon him, the canine feeling very small as they all examined and picked him apart with their gaze, his tail lowering, together with his ears "U-Um. Hi!" he waved, nervously smiling at the crowd.

The roselia was the first to speak up, getting closer to him, always smiling "Heee-eelloo-ooo there!" he spoke, in a surprisingly loud voice "I'm Roselia. The team's specialist in long distance fighting and enemy disruption! Also, by far the most beautiful and intere-" the small grass type was shoved aside by a tall, scaly presence.

The dragon type nonchalantly interrupted the thorn pokémon like it was the most normal thing "I'm Hakamo-o. I fight with my fists and tough scales." the riolu felt some of his fur stand up when that intimidating, strong female voice begun speaking "I'm always willing to test my skills against tough opponents." She declared, almost invitingly.

"She's also the rudest sack of scales and muscles on this side of the continent!" Roselia added with a huff, Hakamo-o seemed to ignore it entirely.

The last to present himself was the kirlia, who leered at the riolu with a blank expression "I am Kirlia. Leader of Team Regal. I am the smartest member of the guild, and aim to be the number one explorer."

"I've never seen a riolu around here before! Mister Cacturne, sir why are you hanging o-" Before the excitable Roselia could chatter more, he was silenced by a cold stare, courtesy of his leader.

"Thank you very much for talking to us, Mister Cacturne. We are on our way to report the success to Second-in-Command Gallade or Guildmaster Haxorus." Kirlia said, almost robotically, walking away, in the direction they were going before, Stopping for a moment, staring at David in the eye "And Riolu, I appreciate your effort, but next time, leave it to the professionals." The riolu couldn't contain his shock at the sudden jab at his actions.

"Heroism is only to those that were born for it. You are better off working as a construction helper rather than as an explorer. Safer for you and for the guild's reputation'." the Kirlia coldly declared, now not even looking at the baffled jackal, while he resumed his walk.

"Ugh. Talk about a pain in the-" Roselia quickly ran after his leader, David stared at Hakamo-o, who was staring back at him, with an unreadable expression. He was unsure how long she was doing that. As he opened his muzzle to speak something, she silently followed after her teammates, confusing the former human even more.

"...What a dick!" the riolu growled, looking as the trio went further and further away from them.

"Hah. That kid may have an attitude, but there's no denying he's a prodigy. Among the apprentices, he is the one that shows the most raw power. As expected from the son of the second in command." the cacturne commented, as if trying to provoke a reaction out of the riolu.

"Being good at something is no excuse to be an ass about it! No one is 'born' fated to be something! Just because he has natural talent and I don't, that doesn't mean I can't try!" he fiercely declared.

The cacturne grinned, as if waiting for him to say something along those lines "Indeed. That boy is obsessed with power and glory. A trait shared among lots of other pokémon." the scarecrow sighed, examining the boy's reaction.

"After all, without power, you can't really change nor protect anything." he decided to add, to force a reaction out of him. And it seemed to work.

The riolu looked down at his paws, clutching them into fists, remembering his powerlessness and near death experience one more time, against that Scyther. His ears lowering, again taken back by the sadness and dread that assaulted him earlier in the day.

"Something wrong, David?" Cacturne asked, innocently, patting him on the back "Are you daydreaming, perhaps?"

"No. Just… Remembering something." he was clearly melancholic, his tone shift leaving that very clear. Cacturne felt bad for having to be so drastic with his means, but his ends were noble.

"Let's go. Vert is waiting." the bigger male tried to free him of that gloomy mood.

"Yeah… I really need to talk to him." David seemed more determined now, his resolve returning.

"_Hah. That was quick. This one's mood is all over the place. So very lucky of me to have found the perfect rival team so early…"_ Cacturne stopped thinking when he noticed the riolu staring weirdly at him.

"What're you mumbling about? Do I have something in my teeth?" to put emphasis, he tried picking on his teeth, quickly removing his paw with an 'Ow' _"Geez! My teeth are sharp!... I mean, I'm a dog-thing. So guess that was dumb of my part."_

"_He's not even hiding it at this point."_ he laughs at the scene, making the riolu blush in embarrassment "There. It's no longer in your teeth. Now, with your oral hygiene secured, we may move on." Cacturne resumed their travel, with a very confused riolu behind him.

* * *

**-Sunray Forest-**

**-Vert's House-**

'_It is said that the 10 guardians were appointed by Arceus himself, serving as living embodiments of balance. Splitting his own essence to create these mythical beings. Each being completely unique and possessing powers almost incomprehensible by ordinary pokémon. It is said that great calamity shall come, when their power is reunited, it is said that great calamity shall follow.'_

Vert closes the big, old looking book, examining it nostalgically _"Reading these religious books always calms me down. There's just something about these legends that simply fascinates me. Maybe It's just the catchy lullabies that they generate…"_

Looking around, being sure that he was completely alone, which should be obvious given that he is in his own house, Vert begins humming to himself.

"When at night, all the world goes to sleep,

And ten guardians watch do keep,

One's the kind progenitor, in him we all live;

One's the green mender, proof that time does forgive;

One's the wish granter-"

The treecko's nostalgia trip was suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door, making him jump to his feet in surprise, nervous that someone could have heard his childish reminiscing.

"Um… Be right there!" the treecko ran, slowly opening the door and peeking through it.

His reptilian eyes widened when he saw a grinning cactus and a waving jackal "Heya, V!"

The grass type quickly opened the door, respectfully bowing to Cacturne "Hello, mister Cacturne. Riolu. Please, come in."

David readily complied, entering his residence, while Cacturne waved at them "I actually must leave you two by yourselves. You have a lot to talk, I assume."

When the former human cocked his head, and opened his mouth to ask, the dark type completed "I got to… Do an errand. Around this area. Yeah, that's a good excuse." he mumbled the last part, Treecko seemed suspicious, David shrugged.

"Sure! Thanks for the chat, and for getting me here. You… Actually taught me a lot. I appreciate it!" He happily responded, Cacturne merely chuckled and waved, Vert closing the door as he left.

"Veteran Cacturne sure is strange. I never expected him to be so… Quirky." the treecko commented.

"I like him, personally. The stoic, serious mentor is far too cliché anyway." Vert looked at him strangely, David was looking around this part of the house.

"I've never been here before! I just saw that bedroom last time I was here… And the what was outside the widow!" he noticed that there really wasn't much, just another table, with some stuff in it, and what he assumed was the kitchen, with a even larger table, and some berries neatly organized on top of it. All made of wood, in some form.

"Nothing much to see. This house is more practical than anything." the treecko decided to follow around the excitable jackal, so that he wouldn't break anything… nor feel alone.

"I dig it! It's charming in its simplicity." David turned around to look at the treecko, mustering his will to change topic, to the thing he needed to get out of his chest. Little did he know, Vert was doing the same.

"I'm sorry." both of them blurted out at the same time, making each other flinch, and blush in embarrassment.

"What for?" yet again, they embarrass themselves by saying the exact same thing, at the same time.

"...Wanna go first?" David offered, smiling sheepishly, while Vert looked away shyly.

"Um… Sure." he gulped, taking a deep breath, to recover his burst of courage "I… Wanted to apologize for my initial cowardice. And for not helping much against the outlaw… I pretty much let you get beaten to a pulp while I helped Togepi charge his attack- and I couldn't even do that properly. We hit you on the blast." Vert couldn't hide the sincere melancholy in his tone.

And after pausing for a second, he continued "And thanks to that, you were stuck in the infirmary recovering for two days." he sighed, looking down in shame "...Your turn…?"

It was David's turn to sigh sadly "Well. I wanted to apologize for being a dead weight the entire dungeon, dragging you into a heroic quest you had all the right to decline, and for leaving our survival up to chance. And failing at that too, almost getting us killed."

The riolu shook his head "...I don't think you were a coward. Nor that you didn't help with the outlaw. All I did was stall for time, while you and Flynn picked up the slack."

"And I will have to disagree with your points. You had… a rough start, but the more we stayed in the dungeon, the better you did. I can say you improved a lot. Secondly, you were right about doing something- it was clearly an emergency. My train of thought was foolish."

He then smiled "Well, as of the third point… Maybe just let me do the planning next time?" he offered, David just giggled loudly in response "Hah. Yeah, for sure!"

After a few chuckled of his own, Vert quickly added "But seriously, your plan was… unconventional, hastily thought out, heavily flawed and relied on things you weren't sure about…"

David looked down, ears and tail in that same classical sad pose "Geez. Pulling no punches."

"...But, it was still the only plan we had. I am horrible at improvising, and poor Togepi just wanted to go home. Your crazy, contrived plan was better than nothing." that bought the Riolu's spirit up a bit.

"Ah!... Um… Thanks." he laughed a bit, glad to hear he hadn't completely messed up.

"...In fact, I guess I simply have to ask this now, before making the question I actually want to make…" Vert mumbled, David turned his head to hear him out.

"David, the riolu… Are you really a pokémon?" he suddenly asked, with logical, inquisitive eyes. David felt his fur stand up, ears and tail raise in alarm, and his eyes widen.

The outgoing pokémon's silent reaction was enough "I knew it! I knew your strange mannerisms and weird amnesia weren't just coincidence or acts!"

He pointed at the jackal, almost accusingly "You are a human, aren't you!?"

David rolled his eyes up, mouth open, shaking, yet still frozen in shock, fear and surprise.

"...I knew it!" the treecko surprised the riolu by laughing excitedly "Wow! I never… With me of all pokémon!... I…"

Thankfully, the fighting type was no longer on the verge of collapsing, taking deep breaths, restoring his cool "Yeah… I didn't want to say anything because I was afraid that you'd think I'm crazy or something. Hell, I think I might be delusional…"

The treecko shook his head "Not at all! You act exactly like my father told a human would- and just like the legends too! It's quite unnerving, actually!" he touched the riolu on the shoulder "David, if a human is in the pokémon world… That must be there's something you must do! A great destiny- some sort of tale! You don't remember anything about being human?"

He shook his head "No… I know things I knew as a human- Like song or things I studied. But nothing about me, personally. I learned my name in a dream i had after you knocked me out!"

Vert was very focused on his every word, picking apart and planning ahead as every sentence left his mouth "I see. So it's that bad, huh…?"

The treecko got up, moving towards a table, muttering something to himself, before speaking more clearly "That settles it…"

Before David could question exactly what he was doing, Vert had two strange bracelets on each of his hands. One green, the other blue "It is my dream to become an explorer, see. I made a promise to myself- A promise that I must keep…"

It seemed that this was bringing him bad memories, making him cringe a bit, but he kept going anyway "I… was born a weakling, and am still very poor in combat. I had to train hard every day of my life, just so that I could hope to be mediocre, just so I could compete with the others…"

He gulped, closing his eyes, before opening them again and continuing "I promised I would only ever think of joining when I had the strength- When I could create my own team, and prove I am not hopeless…"

"That led me to completely avoid the guild, and every member... " David could feel some sort of disturbance in the treecko. He wasn't telling the entire truth, but the riolu wasn't going to interrupt "... And so, I was just a scared, complacent mess."

"Until you came, and pushed me to challenge myself by actually entering in a dungeon, and then finally visiting the guild, even if just the healing ward." he said, now looking straight into the riolu's eyes, taking one step closer.

"And when we fought, even if you didn't do much, you made a otherwise scary and hopeless situation seem… much more bearable. That, and your powers actually proved quite useful." another step closer.

"And on top of all of that, you are a Human that mysteriously transformed into a pokémon, with no memories whatsoever. A mystery that's begging to be solved!" with that, yet another step.

"...So I made this entire speech just to ask…" he was now in front of the fighting type, and Vert was shaking like a leaf.

"...David, will you be… my friend?" the grass type gulped, closing his eyes… silence taking over…

...And much to Vert's dismay, David surprised him with a cheerful, innocent laugh. The reptile wondered if he said something wrong, if the riolu had maybe misunderstood it as a joke.

His doubts were soon put to rest "You didn't need to make such a grandiose speech for something so simple!... Honestly, I thought we were already friends! Hahah…!" that made both the riolu and the treecko blush.

"...Seriously?" Vert half whispered "...You really considered yourself my friend?"

"Duh! You are the only pers- pokémon I really feel comfortable with! So yeah… I thought we were already friends!" he smirked and nodded.

"Wow… I see… Um… I never really had a friend before…" his heart raced, his cheeks reddened, but he kept his composure "I feel so warm… So fuzzy… So energized… So…!"

"Happy?" David added. Vert merely nodded, with the most sincere and joyful smile he saw on the usually neutral faced treecko.

Vert, feeling the happiness of the moment give him energy, he boldly pressed onwards "I-I wanted to take this one step further!"

Before the riolu could ask, he answered "David, my friend, would you also like to create a exploration team with me!?" David was a bit stunned at the request.

"I feel like we are a good team, we have synergy- and I felt really confident with you with me!" he frantically explained himself "I can explain to you all day and night long the specifics of working as an explorer- I promise to help you train, and I promise that we will solve the mystery of you!"

"Cacturne has given me a recommendation letter- said I was invited to join… But It just wouldn't feel right to enter without the one who inspired me to do it, you!" as he saw David deep in thought, he decided to continue a bit more "I know you are the perfect partner for me- so please, please accept!..." He looked down, almost begging.

David's mind trailed off to the many sights Cacturne showed him, the fun scenarios he imagined when the older pokémon explained what being an explorer was like, the sheer curiosity of how the other explorers were like, the amazement at looking at the castle that the guild was in, and he also remembered the burning hate he felt on his heart when that girly Kirlia looked down upon him.

Then he remembered the dark dungeon they were in the other day, the hell of a landscape he had to explore, the savage and fierce Dust pokémon he had to vanquish- And the scary outlaw that almost ended him and his friend. Remembering also his complete powerlessness, since he was much too badly used to this body.

But as soon as those insecurities begun taking hold, he imagined Flynn's happy face, hugging his healing mother, finally safe and reunited. He remembered Cacturne's nostalgia as he taught him what he knew, he remembered the comic encounter he had with the piplup- And he even remembered the strange one he had with the female dragon.

And lastly, he remembered the treecko's smile. The laughs they shared on his room, and the scenes that just unfolded, being almost taken back by the joy of knowing that David actually thought of him as a friend.

Now that he looked calmly into it, Vert was his first and only friend. And David was Vert's first and only friend. And that sealed the deal.

He had nowhere to go, he didn't know this world, he needed means to discover the truth- And he, quite honestly, didn't feel like living alone. All of this could easily be solved by a gecko's simple offer.

"I accept. I would like to join the guild with you." when those words left David's mouth, he didn't need his aura powers to feel the rising happiness on the other pokémon.

"...Really? You'll really enter with me…?" he asked, almost as if asking if this was also a dream, or if he was dead and in heaven.

"Yeah. You're a cool guy and… I guess you're also the perfect partner for me!" he smiled, getting suddenly tackled to the ground by a disproportionately strong grass type.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Vert laughed, squeezing the furry canine, while the other meekly hugged back "Can't… breathe…"

That vicious grip finally loosened a bit, allowing air to enter David's lungs "Sorry. I'm just so- This is the happiest day of my li- What will Miss altaria say- Should I buy you a bag too-"

David uselessly tried to be let go, still pinned on the ground, laughing nervously "V- Calm down. Those bracelets on your hand are hurting my back!"

When Vert's mind returned to its normal state, he quickly let go, and got up, looking away, his face red like a tomato "...Hahah… Sorry! I um-" he remembered the perfect way to not talk about how he was hugging the riolu just moments ago "I- I wanted to give you this- To make our team and friendship official." He handed him the blue bracelet.

"This is a looplet. An essential item when dungeoneering. It allows you to use emeres, stones that each have a unique individual effect. You fit them in those spaces." He pointed at the hollow areas in the looplet.

"Looplets have additional effects, like scarves. Though I'm not too sure what these do- I never really used them." he finishes explaining "Test it out. See if it fits ok."

David nodded "Sure, lemme just…" he opened the accessory, putting it in his right wrist, similar to a watch.

Sneaking behind the canine, Vert came and wrapped a red scarf around his neck, startling David for a brief second "It looks good on you. Lucky that you found a power scarf. Useful stuff."

"Thanks… Yours looks quite amazing on you too!" he pointed at the green looplet on Vert's right wrist.

"Thank you!... Now, if you are feeling like it, we should enlist as apprentices at once. I heard there is only a spot left for a single team- before Haxorus' guild officially closes recruitment." Vert alerted.

"Sure! Cacturne said that he would be doing something around here, yeah? Let's go find him!" David suggested, Vert nodded with a smile.

"Yeah!... That's a little too convenient, but I'll take it!" The treecko remembered the suspicion he had felt earlier, but ignored it. He was a veteran explorer, after all.

Before they went on their merry way, the former human extended his paw, smiling "Well then. My name is David, I'm a human that is now stuck as a riolu. I want to uncover my memory, and understand why I'm here. I may also need training to understand how to use my new body, nice to meet you, partner!"

Vert looked confused, but grinned, and decided to play the game to amuse the riolu "I'm Vert, Born and raised in Solaris, am a treecko as far as I know. I dream to become a famous explorer, and to be known all throughout the world. Nice to meet you, partner!" he slapped David's paw, and was surprised when the riolu grabbed his hand and shook it, the gesture Vert tried to mimic but failed.

* * *

On the door, a large, scarecrow pokémon comically kneeled, with one of his ears on the door, eavesdropping the wholesome interaction between the duo.

He had to resist the urge to scream 'Yes!' when they accepted to form a team, his happiness through the roof, he managed to make the riolu get interested enough to join with Vert.

"Amazing! These two are truly quick friends! I am very, very happy!" he chuckled "Now, the next step shall be: they'll 'fortunately' cross paths with me once more, and I'll 'fortunately' say I am coming back to the guild…" he mumbled, thinking out loud.

"I knew that showing him around the guild would hook him in! And I couldn't ask for a better time for Team Regal to show up- they are just the best possible rivals to compete with them. If this was a story, and I was a character in it, I would be swimming in 'plot convenience'!" he keeps mumbling, almost as if there was someone there with him.

"But in real life, we must create the conveniences of our plots..." he sighs, almost jumping to the moon when he heard.

"Hey Vert, did ya hear something on the door?"

"I think I did… is someone pranking me?"

Followed by their light footsteps reaching ever closer to the door.

Cacturne soon hid in a bush, hearing as the house's door opened, two very confused pokémon looking around "...Just the wind. It's almost winter time- Those gusts are common."

"Cool! Does it snow here?" the blue one asked.

"Of course! Though the only real seasons in this continent are the scorching summer and the chilly winter." Vert explained.

"I see!... Sooooo… You know those delicious berries ya sent to me at the hospital?" he continued, the two still on the outside, and the tall Cacturne still hiding in a small bush, and his 'hat' may or may not be sticking out.

"What about 'em?" the gecko inquired.

"I am a bit hungry from so much walking and talking!... Would you have some more of them, and that delicious juice?" he asked, with cute puppy eyes.

"Of course! Come, I'll cook some for you, while Veteran Cacturne finishes his very important errand!" he beckoned the riolu, entering the house.

Cacturne would have to make his dramatic entrance later, it seemed.

**End of Chapter 1: Fantasia**

* * *

"You are sure he is human. And you say that he will also be joining my ranks?"

"Very much so. I myself will see to it. He must enter the guild, for his sake, and ours."

"I shall not give him or Luka any special treatment- Not even in the entrance test. You are aware of that, are you not?"

"Yes, yes. I know you, old pal. Stubborn as a rock. But all soft on the inside!"

"Don't say such stupidly disrespectful and cheesy things."

"Hey, if you didn't like it, you wouldn't have me around."

"...To be honest, I missed your cheesy phrases, and your disrespectfulness."

"Hah. Knew it."

"Well, my friend. I can only say that I shall protect them with all of my might, either as my apprentices, or as civilians."

"It's all I ask for. I'm sure they'll pass, though."

"What makes you so certain?"

"They both have heart. Especially the Human."

"Heart alone does not win anything."

"Indeed. That's why I'm glad he's paired up with Luka."

* * *

A/N: Finally, done with the first chapter (aka the one with most of the world exposition). I hope that it wasn't too much of a drag! Next episode might take a liiiiittle more time to come, since I have some stuff to do on my University. It will come though, this is a passion project I don't intend on leaving. Anyway, I hope you are enjoying the story so far- See you next time, as the second Chapter of the story begins!


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